Zap Valley: Hakkari’s Great Gorge and Rafting River

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1. What is the Zap Valley?
2. How do you get to the Zap Valley?
3. When is the best time to visit the Zap Valley?
4. What is the history of the Zap Valley?
5. What is the Zap Valley famous for?
6. What can you do in the Zap Valley?
7. Frequently asked questions about the Zap Valley
8. What do the official records say about the Zap Valley?

What is the Zap Valley?

The Zap Valley is the long, deep gorge of the Zap River, known outside Türkiye as the Great Zab. The river gathers its waters in the mountains of the Van–Hakkari border, flows south past Hakkari city and leaves Türkiye for Iraq, where it joins the Tigris. The 2002 inventory describes Hakkari as set on the southern slope of the deep and long Zap Valley and surrounded on all sides by mountains.

For travellers the valley is three things: the dramatic road into Hakkari from Van, one of the fastest rafting rivers in Türkiye, and the setting of two small stone churches from the region’s Christian past. GoTürkiye describes it simply as green landscapes between tall mountains.

How do you get to the Zap Valley?

If you come to Hakkari by road from Van, you are already in it. After Başkale, at about km 90 of the 210 km route, the road descends into the Zap valley, and at the Yeni Köprü junction, about km 160, the road to Şırnak branches off through two short tunnels. Hakkari city lies above the river at the southern end. Halil Church is about 10 km from Hakkari beside the main road; Derav Church lies beyond Üzümcü village on the far bank of the Zap.

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When is the best time to visit the Zap Valley?

Late spring and early summer for rafting, when snowmelt swells the river; the provincial directorate gives an average flow of 86.5 m³ per second. July to September for walking and driving, when the valley is green and the weather is settled. In winter snow and ice affect the higher sections of the road from Van; the directorate recommends the route via Edremit when approaching from Erzurum or Ağrı in winter.

What is the history of the Zap Valley?

The Zap has always been the main route into these mountains, linking the Lake Van basin with Mesopotamia. Until the First World War, Assyrian Christian communities of the Church of the East lived in its side valleys. The inventory lists two of their churches here and calls them Nestorian, the name long used for the Church of the East. Neither has an inscription or decoration, so their dates and builders are unknown.

The inventory describes Halil Church, by the main road at the Halil locality about 10 km from Hakkari, as a rectangular building running east to west, in two sections. The larger, western section is entered by a door in the west front and covered by a barrel vault, with cupboard niches in the walls. Two doors with pointed arches lead into the second, eastern room, which is also vaulted and has a pointed-arch niche in its east wall in line with the door. The whole building is of stone, with regular courses of rough stone on the outside, and is roofed with earth. The inventory describes it as quite solid.

Derav Church, at the Derav locality beyond Üzümcü village, stands on a sloping site on the ridge across the Zap. The inventory records it as very small, 6.85 by 10 m, with two barrel-vaulted rooms lit by narrow windows, the second reached through two iron doors with pointed arches and resting against the rock on its east side. It is built of rubble stone and rock, with an earth roof and walls ruined in places, but it still looks sturdy.

What is the Zap Valley famous for?

• Rafting. The directorate describes a 189 km course on one of Türkiye’s fastest rivers, suitable for both beginners and experienced paddlers.
• Village breakfasts. Villages along the valley serve local food and breakfasts to rafting groups.
• The approach to Hakkari. The descent from Başkale into the gorge is one of the most spectacular drives in eastern Türkiye.

What can you do in the Zap Valley?

Raft. The Zap is the main rafting river of the province. Go with an experienced local operator, especially in high water.

Visit the churches. Halil Church is easy to reach from the main road. Derav Church requires crossing to the far bank near Üzümcü and walking up the slope; ask locally for the way.

Walk the side valleys. The provincial directorate lists walking routes in the valleys around the city, including Helel, Ağaçdibi, Kırıkdağ and Erziki, and the green Cennet-Cehennem valley.

Continue to the mountains. The valley is the gateway to Berçelan plateau above the city and the Cilo-Sat Mountains to the south and east. In town, see the Meydan Madrasa.

The valley runs towards the Iraqi border. UK travel advice states that permission from the local Governor’s Office is required for areas near the borders with Iraq and Iran (FCDO), so stay on main routes unless you have arranged this.

Frequently asked questions about the Zap Valley

What do the official records say about the Zap Valley?

Set on the southern slope of the deep and long Zap Valley and surrounded on all sides by mountains, Hakkari is one of the most remote provinces of Anatolia.

Derav Church is located at the Derav locality beyond Üzümcü village in the Zap Valley. It was built on sloping ground on the ridge on the other side of the Zap water. Since there is no inscription or decoration on the building, which is accepted as belonging to the Nestorians, its date and period are not known. The whole building is made of rubble stone and rock. From outside it is covered with earth and its walls are ruined in places. Despite this, it has a sturdy appearance. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Hakkari Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)