Where Türkiye ends
Doğubayazıt is the last Turkish town before the Iranian border. It stands at about 1,600 metres, and Ararat fills the horizon: at 5,137 metres it is the highest mountain in the country and, by long tradition, the mountain where Noah's Ark came to rest in the Book of Genesis. The town itself is a place of through traffic, lorries and bazaars, but five kilometres away stands one of the most beautiful buildings in the whole of Anatolia.
What to see
Ishak Pasha Palace
On a rocky spur above the valley stands the palace that Ishak Pasha, the local governor, completed in 1784. It blends Ottoman, Seljuk, Armenian and Persian styles: a monumental gateway, a courtyard, a mosque, a harem, kitchens, a mausoleum and a heating system running under the floors. It is often said to have been only the second building in the country with central heating. At sunset, with the stone turning gold and Ararat behind it, it is one of the images you will take home from the trip. At the time of writing (2026), entry is €5 under the official 2027 tariff.
Mount Ararat
Whenever the sky allows, you can see it from everywhere: a snow-capped cone with Little Ararat beside it. The climb takes four or five days from the village of Eli. A guide is compulsory, and so is an official permit, which we arrange for you well in advance. You don't need technical climbing skills, but you do need to be fit and properly acclimatised. Our 6-day Mount Ararat climb follows the classic southern route.
The meteor crater and the Diyadin hot springs
Close to the border is a crater 35 metres across, said to have been left by a meteorite in 1892 and billed locally as the second largest in the world (a claim to take with a pinch of salt). About half an hour from town, Diyadin has open-air hot springs beside the Murat River, where the water stays at around 50 °C even in winter.
The "Ark site"
At Üzengili, a rock formation shaped like a ship's hull is identified by some as Noah's Ark. Scientifically it is a geological formation, but for the story, and for the view over the valley to Ararat, it is worth the stop.
When to go
For sightseeing, May to October, with June to September the most reliable months. For the rest of the year snow closes the mountain tracks, and the climb is only possible in summer (July to September, with July and August the main expedition months).
Getting there
The nearest airport is Iğdır, about an hour's drive away, with flights from Istanbul; Ağrı airport is an hour and a half away. By road, Van is two and a half to three hours away and Kars about three and a half. Doğubayazıt is a stop on the eastern route Kars–Doğubayazıt–Van.
What to eat
This is Kurdish mountain cooking. The local speciality is abdigör köftesi, meatballs made from hand-pounded beef; add herb cheese, honey and freshly baked bread.
Fitting it into your trip
One night is enough for the palace and the views of Ararat; allow a week if you are climbing to the summit. Doğubayazıt lies about three hours from Van and a little more from Kars, at the heart of the classic route through eastern Türkiye.