Munzur Springs: Source of the Munzur at Ovacık

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

What are the Munzur Springs?

The Munzur Springs, known in Turkish as Munzur Gözeleri (“the eyes of the Munzur”), are where the Munzur River begins. Cold, clear water emerges from the base of the mountain in many places at once and gathers into fast channels that become the river within a few hundred metres. The water stays ice-cold even in August.

The springs are also one of the holiest places in Alevi belief in the region. People come to pray, light candles, make vows and sacrifices, and drink or wash in the water. Expect to see candles on the rocks, small offerings and families picnicking after a visit. It is a place of worship as much as a beauty spot, and visitors are expected to behave accordingly.

How do you get to the Munzur Springs?

The springs are near Ovacık, at the top of the Munzur valley. From Tunceli city, take the Ovacık road through Munzur Valley National Park; Ovacık is about 65 km from the capital. The springs lie a short drive beyond the town. Minibuses link Tunceli and Ovacık, but a car or taxi is the easiest way to reach the springs themselves.

For the drive to Tunceli from Elazığ or Erzincan airports, see our Tunceli guide.

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When is the best time to visit the Munzur Springs?

Late spring and summer. In May and June the springs flow at their strongest, fed by snowmelt from the Munzur range above. From July to September the weather in Ovacık is warm by day and cool at night, the road is clear and the riverside is green. Weekends and holidays bring many local visitors, especially families making vows; a weekday morning is quieter. In winter the upper valley is snowbound and access can be difficult.

What is the history of the Munzur Springs?

The springs have no monument or inscription; their history is a living religious tradition. In local Alevi belief, the Munzur and its source are associated with Munzur Baba, a holy figure whose story is told in many versions in Tunceli. The river bears his name, and the springs are believed to mark a place connected to him. Prayers and offerings here form part of a wider Alevi tradition in which mountains, springs, rocks and trees are honoured as sacred.

The 2002 inventory places the springs in the landscape of the Munzur Mountains, describing the springs that boil up where the mountains reach the Ovacık plain as one of the most striking features of the national park.

What are the Munzur Springs famous for?

• Cold water. The inventory describes the Munzur River as formed by ice-cold waters gushing from the rocks at the foot of the Munzur Mountains. At the springs you see this happening.
• Faith. The springs are among the most important sacred sites for Alevis in Tunceli, with candles, offerings and prayers through the year.
• Setting. Steep limestone walls rise behind the springs, and the Ovacık plain opens out in front, framed by the Munzur and Mercan mountains.

What can you see at the Munzur Springs?

The springs. Water appears from the foot of the slope in several places, running over pale stones in clear, fast channels.

Offering places. Candles are lit on the rocks near the water, and you may see people praying or making vows and small sacrifices. Watch quietly and ask before photographing anyone.

The young river. Below the springs, the channels join to form the Munzur, which immediately runs fast and cold towards the gorge of Munzur Valley National Park.

The Ovacık plain. The small plain that gives Ovacık its name (“ova” means plain) lies between the Munzur and Mercan mountains. In summer it is green with fields and pasture.

Frequently asked questions about the Munzur Springs

What do the official records say about the Munzur Springs?

The Munzur Mountains in the north of the province, and the Munzur River, formed by ice-cold waters gushing from the rocks along a distance of about 200 km at the foot of these mountains, give Tunceli both life and natural beauty. The narrow and deep valley of the Munzur River, flowing between Tunceli and the Ovacık springs, has been taken under protection as a national park area.

The glacial lakes seen in the upper parts of the Mercan Valley, the springs that boil up where the mountains reach the Ovacık plain, and the small waterfalls along the valley are interesting examples in the national park’s landscape. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Tunceli Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)