Bingöl: Floating Islands and a Thousand Lakes

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

What is Bingöl?

Bingöl is a mountainous province in eastern Türkiye, between the Euphrates country of Elazığ and Tunceli to the west and the Muş Plain to the east. The 2002 inventory places it in the Upper Euphrates section of Eastern Anatolia, bordered by Muş to the east, Erzurum and Erzincan to the north, Tunceli and Elazığ to the west and Diyarbakır to the south. The provincial capital, also called Bingöl and historically known as Çapakçur, sits in a valley in the south of the province.

The name means “a thousand lakes”, after the small glacial lakes scattered across the high Bingöl Mountains in the northeast. That landscape of lakes, plateaus and summer pasture is what draws most visitors, along with the province’s best-known natural curiosity: Floating Islands Lake near Solhan, where islands of vegetation drift across the surface of a small lake.

Bingöl sees few foreign visitors. It is a province for travellers who want mountain scenery, local food and quiet roads, and it fits well into a route between Elazığ, Muş and Erzurum.

Places to visit in Bingöl

Floating Islands Lake

Bingöl’s Floating Islands Lake (Yüzen Adalar) at Hazarşah near Solhan: islands of…

Bingöl Mountains

The Bingöl Mountains near Karlıova: the glacial lakes behind the name Bingöl,…

Kös Hot Springs

Kös Hot Springs (Kös Kaplıcaları), 20 km from Bingöl on the Karlıova…

How do you get to Bingöl?

By air: Bingöl Airport opened in 2013, about 20 km southeast of the city. Turkish Airlines flies from Istanbul Airport, Pegasus from Sabiha Gökçen and AJet from Ankara (route list). Muş and Elazığ airports are the alternatives.

By rail: The inventory notes that the station in Genç district gives rail connections east to Tatvan and west via Elazığ towards Istanbul. The Lake Van Express between Ankara and Tatvan runs on this line (route details). Genç is about 40 minutes south of Bingöl city by road.

By road: Bingöl is linked by road to Elazığ, Muş, Erzurum and Diyarbakır, and intercity coaches run from most of the country. A car is needed for the floating islands, the mountain pastures and the hot springs.

Where should you stay in Bingöl?

Bingöl city has the province’s hotels, mostly modern business hotels in the centre. It is the practical base for day trips to Solhan, Kös and the mountains. Outside the city, accommodation is very limited; travellers heading for the high pastures in summer usually return to the city or continue to Muş or Erzurum.

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What type of climate does Bingöl have?

Bingöl has a continental climate. Winters are long, cold and snowy, especially on the high ground around Karlıova and in the Bingöl Mountains, while summers in the valleys are hot and dry. The inventory notes a ski season from December to March at the ski centre above the city. Snow lingers on the high pastures into late spring.

When is the best time to visit Bingöl?

June to September. The floating islands are best seen in late spring and summer, when the vegetation is green and the access roads are dry. The high pastures of the Bingöl Mountains open up from late June, and the inventory gives 15 July to 15 August as the window for watching the sunrise from Kala Tepe. Winter suits only those coming for the ski slopes.

What is the history of Bingöl?

The 2002 inventory concentrates on the modern period. It records that after the proclamation of the Republic the area was attached to Elazığ in 1926 and to Muş in 1929, and became a province in its own right in 1936. Before then the town was known as Çapakçur, a name still used locally and preserved in the name of the Çapakçur stream.

The province lies on the old routes between the Euphrates valley and the Lake Van basin, and its castles reflect that position: the inventory lists Sebeterias Castle near the city, Kral Kızı Castle in Genç and Kiğı Castle in the northwest. The region passed through the hands of the same powers as its neighbours, from Byzantium and the medieval Muslim dynasties to the Seljuks, the Akkoyunlu and the Ottomans.

In recent decades Bingöl has been struck by two major earthquakes, in 1971 and 2003, and much of the city has been rebuilt.

What is Bingöl famous for?

• The floating islands of the lake at Hazarşah village near Solhan.
• A thousand lakes. The glacial lakes of the Bingöl Mountains, which gave the province its name.
• Honey and mulberry pekmez. The inventory singles out Bingöl honey and dut pekmezi, a syrup of boiled mulberries.
• Sunrise from Kala Tepe, a local tradition recorded in the inventory.
• Kös Hot Springs, on the road to Karlıova.

What are the historical places of Bingöl?

Bingöl is better known for its landscapes than its monuments, and the 2002 inventory lists only a few historic sites. Sebeterias Castle lies in the central district, Kral Kızı Castle (“the King’s Daughter”) in Genç, and Kiğı Castle above the small town of Kiğı in the northwest of the province. All three are ruins; ask locally about access before setting out.

What are the best things to do in Bingöl?

• Stand on a floating island. At Floating Islands Lake near Solhan you can step onto the islands and feel them move.
• Walk in the Bingöl Mountains among the glacial lakes and summer pastures, and watch the sunrise from Kala Tepe.
• Take the waters at Kös Hot Springs, 20 km from the city on the Karlıova road.
• Explore the plateaus of the Bingöl and Şerafettin mountains, which the inventory lists for highland tourism.
• Ski in winter at the ski centre about 25 km from the city.
• Fish in the Murat, Göynük, Gülbahar, Gayt and Çapakçur streams, which the inventory names for angling in winter.
• Explore the caves at Ilıca, which the inventory lists for cave tourism.

The inventory also lists local events, among them Nevruz on 21 March, the Hıdırellez spring festival in early May and horse races in late August and early September. Check dates locally.

What are the best places to visit in Bingöl?

Floating Islands Lake. A small lake at Hazarşah village, Solhan district, with islands of vegetation that move across its surface.

Bingöl Mountains. The range that gives the province its name, with glacial lakes, summer pastures and the summit of Kala Tepe at about 3,250 m.

Kös Hot Springs. Thermal and mineral springs 20 km from the city on the Bingöl–Karlıova road.

Also worth your time: Kiğı and its castle in the northwest, Zulüm Tepe and the Aksakal crater lake near Solhan for walking, and the Ilıca caves.

What is the traditional food of Bingöl?

The inventory recommends two local products above all: Bingöl honey, from the flower meadows of the high pastures, and dut pekmezi, mulberry molasses made by boiling down mulberry juice. Both are sold in the city and make good souvenirs. The inventory also notes that local dishes can be eaten at the Atapark and Soğuk Çeşme areas of the city.

Frequently asked questions about Bingöl

What do the official records say about Bingöl?

In terms of hunting, Bingöl is one of the rare places with which nature has endowed mankind. In September, October and November partridge, hare, woodcock, fox, francolin and quail are hunted. In January and February animals such as hare, partridge, fox, wolf and marten are also hunted. In November, December, January and February fish are caught in the Murat, Göynük, Gülbahar, Gayt and Çapakçur streams.

The local mulberry pekmez and Bingöl honey should be tasted. Local dishes can be eaten at Atapark and in the Soğuk Çeşme area. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Bingöl Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)