Ardahan: Frozen Lakes and Cliff Castles

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1. What is Ardahan?
2. How do you get to Ardahan?
3. Where should you stay in Ardahan?
4. What type of climate does Ardahan have?
5. When is the best time to visit Ardahan?
6. What is the history of Ardahan?
7. What is Ardahan famous for?
8. What are the historical places of Ardahan?
9. What are the best things to do in Ardahan?
10. What are the best places to visit in Ardahan?
11. What is the traditional food of Ardahan?
12. What should you buy in Ardahan?
13. Frequently asked questions about Ardahan
14. What do the official records say about Ardahan?

What is Ardahan?

Ardahan is a high, thinly populated province in the far northeast of Türkiye, on the borders of Georgia and Armenia. Its capital, also called Ardahan, sits on the Kura River, which rises in these mountains and flows east to the Caspian Sea.

The 2002 inventory describes the landscape well: most of the province lies above 2,000 metres. The Yalnızçam Mountains enclose the north and the Allahuekber Mountains the southwest; Keldağ (3,033 m) rises in the northeast and Akbaba Dağı (3,026 m) in the east, and the highest point is the 3,197 m summit of Kısır Dağı in the south. The high plains in the middle of the province are called the Ardahan plateau. Once the snow melts, they are covered in bright green meadows and become important grazing land.

Travellers come for Lake Çıldır, a large volcanic lake at almost 2,000 m that freezes solid in winter, for Şeytan Castle on its cliff above the Karaçay canyon, and for the short summer, when the pastures flower and the honey is gathered.

Places to visit in Ardahan

Lake Çıldır

Lake Çıldır on the Ardahan–Kars border: a 1,959 m volcanic lake that…

Şeytan Castle

Şeytan Castle near Çıldır, Ardahan: a fortress on a rock spur above…

Ardahan Castle

Ardahan Castle: the 16th-century Ottoman fortress of Süleyman the Magnificent on the…

How do you get to Ardahan?

By air: Ardahan has no airport. The nearest is Kars Harakani Airport, about 90 km to the south, with flights from Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir; Erzurum Airport is further away but has more flights.

By road: Buses and minibuses connect Ardahan with Kars, Erzurum and Artvin. A car is the practical way to see Lake Çıldır, Şeytan Castle and the villages, since public transport to them is limited.

From Georgia: The Türkgözü border gate at Posof and the Aktaş gate at Çıldır lead into Georgia. Their opening for passenger traffic has changed in recent years, so check the current status before planning a crossing.

Where should you stay in Ardahan?

Ardahan town has a handful of small hotels, and there are guesthouses and small hotels in Çıldır near the lake. Many visitors base themselves in Kars, which has more choice and better transport, and visit Lake Çıldır and Şeytan Castle on a day trip.

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What type of climate does Ardahan have?

Ardahan has one of the harshest climates in Türkiye: long, severe winters with temperatures that can fall to around −20°C and below, and short, cool summers when frost is possible even in July. The inventory records that Lake Çıldır freezes at the end of November and that its ice does not melt until early April. Summer days are mild and green, with afternoon showers in the mountains.

When is the best time to visit Ardahan?

June to September for the plateau meadows, the castles and the villages. The Atatürk silhouette at Damal appears in the evening between mid-June and late July. For the frozen lake, sleigh rides and ice fishing, go from late December to March, when the ice is safe; the inventory notes the ice can exceed a metre in thickness.

What is the history of Ardahan?

Prehistoric research around Ardahan Castle, the inventory notes, has revealed a settlement of the Early Bronze Age (3500–2000 BC), and remains of different civilisations found in excavations at the castle show that the area was settled from that time and passed under the rule of various kingdoms. The oldest inscription in the region is thought to be a rock inscription at Taşköprü, south of Çıldır, attributed to the Urartian king Sarduri II (753–735 BC).

In the Middle Ages the upper Kura valley was a crossroads between the Caucasus and Anatolia. Ardahan was held by Armenian and Georgian rulers, sacked by the Byzantine army in 1021, taken by the Mongols in the 1230s and recovered by the Georgian princes of Samtskhe in 1266. After the Peace of Amasya in 1555 it passed to the Ottomans, and Ardahan Castle was built under Süleyman the Magnificent in the middle of the 16th century.

Russia took Ardahan in 1878 and governed it as part of the Kars region until 1918. After a brief period divided between the new Georgian and Armenian republics, the Treaty of Kars in 1921 returned it to Türkiye. Ardahan was part of Kars province until a law of 27 May 1992 made it a province of its own, taking in the districts of Çıldır, Damal, Göle, Hanak and Posof.

What is Ardahan famous for?

Lake Çıldır. In winter the lake freezes and becomes a stage for horse-drawn sleighs and ice fishing through holes cut in the ice.

Castles on the cliffs. The inventory lists more than half a dozen castles along the valleys of the Kura and its tributaries, of which Şeytan Castle and Ardahan Castle are the best known.

The Atatürk silhouette. On clear summer evenings, the shadow of a neighbouring hill falls on the slopes of Karadağ at Damal and forms the profile of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk for about 20 minutes. A shepherd is said to have first noticed it in the 1950s, and it became known across Türkiye after it was photographed in 1975.

Honey, cheese and goose. Flower honey from the high meadows, kaşar cheese and goose are the province’s best-known foods.

What are the historical places of Ardahan?

Ardahan Castle. The Ottoman fortress on the Kura River in the town centre. See our Ardahan Castle guide.

Şeytan Castle. Above the Karaçay canyon near Çıldır. See our Şeytan Castle guide.

Posof (Savaşır) Castle. Southeast of Savaşır (Cancak) village in Posof, on a pointed, tongue-shaped hill surrounded on three sides by valleys. On the hill above the valley before Posof is another ruin known as Mere Castle, whose walling shows the features of Ottoman buildings and whose area suggests the size of an Ottoman caravanserai. Çaksu Castle, in Posof’s border village with Georgia, guarded the road from Georgia.

Akçakale island. An island in Lake Çıldır, about 27 km southeast of Çıldır town and just west of Akçakale village, with the ruins of an island settlement. It is a first-degree archaeological site.

Kinzi Castle. About 30 km west of Ardahan, north of Bağdeşen (Kinzodamal) village and southeast of the Bülbülan plateau.

Sevimli and Kalecik castles. Sevimli Castle stands on a steep, peninsula-shaped hill in the Kura valley about 500 m south of Sevimli (Vel) village, 18–20 km southeast of Hanak. Kalecik Castle, near Kalecik village in Göle, sits on a steep site where a stream valley meets the Kura valley.

The Taşköprü inscription. On a large rock in the cliffs north of Taşköprü village, about 30 km south of Çıldır; attributed to the Urartian king Sarduri II.

Kurtkale and the Övündü caves. Kurtkale stands on the Georgian border about 36 km northeast of Çıldır. One kilometre east, south of Övündü village, two groups of cave dwellings are carved into a limestone mass.

Mosques. The Derviş Bey Mosque in Ardahan was built, according to the panels at its entrance, in 1869; nothing is known of the Derviş Bey who gave it his name. The Posof Central Mosque, built of cut stone, has an inscription of 1868 on its minbar, but a sarcophagus dated 1771 in the grounds east of the mosque suggests an older foundation.

What are the best things to do in Ardahan?

• Ride a sleigh on frozen Lake Çıldır and watch fishermen cut holes in the ice to set their nets.
• Walk to the edge of the Karaçay canyon at Şeytan Castle.
• Watch the Atatürk silhouette at Damal on a clear evening between mid-June and late July, around 18:00.
• Go birdwatching. The inventory points to the Ardahan forest, the salt lake of Aktaş and the freshwater Lake Çıldır. Aktaş Lake, on the Georgian border, holds Türkiye’s largest known population of velvet scoter and is a breeding site for both white and Dalmatian pelicans.
• Explore Posof, the greenest district, with forests, orchards and a wildlife development area declared in 2006.
• Ski at Yalnızçam. The inventory recorded that work had begun in 1998 to develop winter sports at Yalnızçam Uğurludağ; today the Yalnızçam ski centre operates among pine forest in winter.
• Time your visit for a local festival. The inventory lists the Çıldır Lake Festival and the Yayık Yayma Seyranı (butter-churning gathering) in Posof in early July, the Göle Kaşar Festival and the Ardahan Honey Festival in early August, and the Goose Festival in Çıldır at the end of October. Dates change, so check locally.

What are the best places to visit in Ardahan?

Lake Çıldır is the high volcanic lake on the border with Kars, frozen for months each winter.

Şeytan Castle is the “Devil’s Castle” on a rock spur above the Karaçay canyon, a few kilometres from Çıldır.

Ardahan Castle is the 16th-century Ottoman fortress on the Kura River in the provincial capital.

Also worth your time: Aktaş Lake for birds, the Damal silhouette in summer and the forests of Posof. Kars, with the medieval city of Ani, is about 90 km south.

What is the traditional food of Ardahan?

Goose (kaz) is the great winter dish: geese are preserved after slaughter and roasted in a tandır or oven in their own fat, then served with bulgur pilaf cooked in that fat. From Lake Çıldır comes sarı balık, fish caught through the ice, coated in cornmeal and fried. Look also for feselli, a flaky layered pastry eaten hot with fresh butter, local mantı and ayran aşı soup.

What should you buy in Ardahan?

Flower honey. Made by Caucasian bees on the highland meadows, Ardahan flower honey carries geographical-indication status.

Cheese and butter. Aged kaşar, çeçil and fresh highland butter. Göle has long held a festival in honour of its kaşar.

Posof apples. Posof’s apples with red flesh are a registered local product.

Frequently asked questions about Ardahan

What do the official records say about Ardahan?

Ardahan was established as the 75th province of the Republic of Türkiye by a law passed on 27 May 1992. With this law Ardahan, formerly part of Kars province, took in the districts of Çıldır, Damal, Göle, Hanak and Posof and formed a new province. Located in the northeastern corner of the Eastern Anatolia region, the province is bordered by Georgia to the north and east, Armenia to the southeast, Kars to the south, Erzurum to the southwest and Artvin to the west.

The high plains stretching through the middle of the province are called the Ardahan plateau. Covered in bright green meadows after the snow melts, this plateau is an important grazing area. The rivers that rise in Ardahan flow into the Caspian Sea beyond Türkiye’s borders; the chief of them is the Kura. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ardahan Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)