Tomara Waterfall: A Spring That Falls From the Rock

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1. What is Tomara Waterfall?
2. How do you get to Tomara Waterfall?
3. When is the best time to visit Tomara Waterfall?
4. What is the history of Tomara Waterfall?
5. What is Tomara Waterfall famous for?
6. What can you do at Tomara Waterfall?
7. Common misconceptions about Tomara Waterfall
8. Frequently asked questions about Tomara Waterfall
9. What do the official records say about Tomara Waterfall?

What is Tomara Waterfall?

Tomara Waterfall (Tomara Şelalesi) is in Seydibaba village, south-west of the town of Şiran in southern Gümüşhane. What makes it unusual is where the water comes from: not a river spilling over a cliff, but a spring that emerges from many points among the rocks of the hillside and pours down in a white, foaming curtain straight into the stream bed below.

The waterfall flows through a narrow, deep valley, and the area is protected as Tomara Waterfall Nature Park. The provincial culture directorate notes rich plant life around it and describes the stream’s bends below the fall as suitable for rafting.

How do you get to Tomara Waterfall?

The waterfall is near Seydibaba village, a short drive south-west of Şiran town. Şiran is one of the southern districts of the province; from the town, follow signs for Tomara Şelalesi. You need a car or taxi from Şiran. On the road to Şiran from Gümüşhane, the octagonal Firdevs Hatun tomb of 1557 stands beside the road on Çilhoroz mountain.

Erzincan Airport, south of the province, and Trabzon Airport, to the north, are the nearest airports.

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When is the best time to visit Tomara Waterfall?

Late spring and summer. Because the fall is spring-fed, it keeps flowing all year, but the valley is most pleasant from May to September, when the trees are in leaf and the picnic areas are open. In winter, roads around Şiran can be snowy.

What is the history of Tomara Waterfall?

Tomara has been a local picnic and excursion spot for generations, and its valley has a long human history. In Seydibaba village itself stands the Gelin Ebe tomb, a rectangular cut-stone building with a hipped roof. Of the two inscriptions on its north wall, the right-hand one says it was renovated in 1812; nothing documented is known about who is buried there, and the villagers simply call it the tomb of Gelin Ebe.

The 2002 inventory described the waterfall as a particularly interesting example because it forms right at its source and has a strong outflow of water. It has since been declared a nature park, and the provincial directorate lists it among Gümüşhane’s five nature parks, alongside the Artabel lakes.

What is Tomara Waterfall famous for?

• A waterfall at its own source, with water emerging straight from the rock.
• Its milky, foaming white water against green vegetation.
• A narrow, deep valley that stays cool in summer.

What can you do at Tomara Waterfall?

Walk to the foot of the fall. Paths lead along the stream to viewpoints at the base, where you can see how the water bursts out across the rock face.

Picnic. The stream banks below the fall are a favourite picnic spot for families from Şiran and the surrounding villages.

See the Gelin Ebe tomb. In Seydibaba village, a small stone tomb renovated in 1812. It stands on a plinth 120 cm high; its roof has been repaired, and stones of its west face have been removed in places.

Stop at the Firdevs Hatun tomb. On the road to Şiran over Çilhoroz mountain, 20 m to the left of the road, stands an octagonal tomb of cut stone built in 1557, with its entrance on the north side and a window on each of the other faces. Its dome and eaves have been repaired. Its inscription stone, of soft köfeki stone, was evidently taken from here and was recorded in 2002 in the garden of the Yunus Emre primary school.

Visit Tekke Waterfall. Another, smaller fall, 4–5 m high and formed in a narrow space, lies at Tekke in the south-east of the province.

Combine with Satala. Satala, the Roman legionary fortress near Kelkit, is in the same southern part of the province and makes a good pairing over a day or two.

Practical tips. Rocks near the fall are wet and slippery. Bring a light jacket; spray and shade keep the valley floor cool even in summer.

Common misconceptions about Tomara Waterfall

How high is Tomara Waterfall?

What people often assume: Figures for the waterfall’s height vary widely.

What the record says: The provincial culture directorate gives a fall of about 25 m (source), while the 2002 inventory measured a difference of about 10–15 m between the point where the spring emerges and the stream bed. Because water emerges at many points across the slope, the figures describe different parts of the fall.

Frequently asked questions about Tomara Waterfall

What do the official records say about Tomara Waterfall?

It is in Seydibaba village, south-west of Şiran district. The waters of the fall emerge from among the rocks on the hillside, flow vertically to the ground and form their bed. The whole of the water source emerges below the part where the waterfall is, and there is a height difference of about 10–15 m between the point where the water emerges and the ground where it reaches the stream bed. It flows through a narrow and deep valley.

As a waterfall formed at its source, with an intense outflow of water, it is a very interesting example. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Gümüşhane Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)