[Do not return without seeing, eating and drinking-6]
Unraveling Turkey's exotic East

 Muş's 14th century Ulu Camii (Grand Mosque) has unique architectural features and deserves a visit. Tunceli's Munzur Valley offers red salmon and very clean spring water. It hosts a large variety of plants, numbering 1,518 kinds. Just look at the magnificent landscape.

Make sure you're in Van for breakfast sometime because Van breakfasts are known throughout Turkey. The city itself has begun to capitalize on this by building numerous breakfast shops to attract visitors.

Erzurum’s red fairy chimneys spectacular at sunset

The majority of the province of Erzurum is elevated, making it rich in plateaus and ice-cold mountain springs. It is home to the highest waterfall in Turkey, the Tortum Waterfall in Uzundere, its Narman district boasts red fairy chimneys and the Çoruh Valley has one of the fastest moving rivers in the world.  The city of Erzurum is most famous for the Çifte Minare Medrese, a theological school. The school was built by the Selçuks in the 13th century.

Ardahan: a natural wonder

In the winter, Ardahan's Çıldır Lake is covered by a thick sheet of ice, making it perfect for winter sports. Have some of the lake's delicious salmon while taking in the landscape from its shores.

Tunceli’s Munzur Valley: a national treasure

Munzur Valley's clear spring water, 1,518 plant species and red-spotted salmon charm visitors. Make sure to stop by Munzur Valley National Park, one of Turkey's first national parks. While there, eat some kavurma (roasted meat and vegetables) near the Munzur River. Witness an unforgettable sight while watching the sunrise or sunset from Pertek Castle and become acquainted with the unforgettable taste of roasted fish eaten on the shores of Keban Lake in Tunceli's Pertek district.

Bingöl’s three floating islands

If you've got the time, stop by Bingöl's Solhan district to see the floating islands. Three movable islands in the small Aksakal Lake in the village of Hazarşah offer quite an experience for visitors. Another natural beauty in Bingöl is the Kale Hill, cut out of the rock to serve as a campground for mountaineers. It stands at an altitude of 3,700 meters. Many come to the spot to see a splendid sunrise. Food-wise, try kavurma prepared in countryside restaurants, especially those located in Soğukçeşme on the Bingöl-Karlıova road. Should you get tired, relax at the thermal bath facilities in Ilıcalar.

Kars: the city of hundreds of civilizations

Kars has traces of many civilizations. After all, it has exchanged hands many times. When in town, visit the Kümbet Mosque, also known as the East's Hagia Sofia Mosque. It's right next to Kars Castle. The monument was made as a church by the Armenian Bagratid King Abas I in the year 932. It was turned into a mosque by the Seljuks in 1064, when Kars became a Selçuk city, only to become a church again in 1877, when the Russian invaded. The mosque attracts attention with stone carvings of the 12 apostles around the building's cupola. Even though it has been used as a mosque for thousands of years, it has preserved its original characteristics, giving it reason to be called the East's Hagia Sofia. In terms of food, Kars is known for its dried goose.

Mount Ağrı: a subject of legends

Mount Ağrı is Iğdır's No. 1 attraction. The mountain's cap is covered with ice, and the snow on its peak does not melt at all. The summit stands at 5,137 meters and is said to be the site where Noah's Ark landed after the great flood mentioned in the Bible and the Quran. But that's not the only reason to visit. Snow at lower elevations melts and creates amazing shapes and patterns as it does so. Many visit in the summer just to see this. Iğdır's cuisine is also delicious. Taste some bozbaş (a stew made with chickpeas). Restaurants on İrfan Street all serve amazing chickpea stew.

Breakfast in Van

Van breakfasts attract a lot of attention. In fact, there's a whole street in the city lined with breakfast shops. Among the specials are kavurmalı uşkun ekşilisi (a tangy dish made of fried meat and rhubarb), sengeser (a food made with small pieces of meat and lentil), kurut aşı (a soup made with meat, lentils and noodles), kürt köftesi (a meatball made without meat!), ayran aşı (a soup made with yogurt), bulgur aşı (made of tomato sauce and cracked wheat), çılbır (a dish with eggs cracked in boiling water and served with a garlicky yogurt and tomato sauce), keledoş (ground cracked wheat) and mıhla (a potato meal and fish tandoori). Breakfast is important for the Van kitchen. The breakfast tables in this city are active from the first light of day to the evenings. Dishes unique to Van take up a lot of space on the menu. Herbs that are collected from mountains and plateaus are used in the food.

Taste many different croquettes in Matlatya

Malatya's kitchens produce 100 different types of croquettes made of cracked wheat. The most famous dish is analı kızlı köfte. This meatball is prepared by filling a layer of minced meat and cracked wheat with minced meat and folding the layer. It is called “analı kızlı” (mother and daughter) because the meatballs are made big and small in size. Then there are the world-famous Malatya apricots. Try to make it in time for the harvest and take some home for friends.

Mount Nemrut is in the middle of the Toros Mountains and is now a national park. It is in what once was home to the Kingdom of Commagene. Nemrut is famous for large heads that dot the mountainside and for a view of sunrises and sunsets like no other. You can either come from Malatya via a 94-kilometer-long highway stretching through its Pütürge district or from Adıyaman via Kahta.

Malatya's Yeni Mosque, dating back to 1912, is known as the “Taze Mosque” by locals. It was constructed in the place of another mosque that was heavily damaged in an earthquake that took place on March 3, 1894.

The Ulu Mosque (Grand Mosque) in Malatya's Battalgazi district, eight kilometers away from Malatya, is a jewel of Selçuk architecture. Nature lovers should head to the Günpınar Waterfall, located 10 kilometers west of Malatya's Darende district. It offers a mysterious beauty to visitors.

Golan Thermal Spring in Elazığ

Among other attractions, the Golan Thermal Spring is a perfect getaway. It lies on the provincial border between Elazığ and Tunceli. Steep rocks surround the waters, reputed to have healing properties for many diseases. If you stay in this thermal spring complex, you'll wake up to the sounds of partridges and the sight of chevrotains going down to drink water in the twilight hours.

Feed fish with your hands in 35 pools containing salmon along the Euphrates River and Baraj Lake. When you get hungry, döner, fileto, pide (round flatbread), köfte (meatballs), Adana kebab, güveç (a dish made of meat and vegetables baked in a clay pot), kavurma (fried meat) and barbecue, all of which can be made with salmon, are perfect. Elazığ is surrounded by water, be it the Euphrates River or its many lakes, so get ready to see dazzling blue like nowhere else. Finally, before moving on, try some çedene coffee (a coffee special to Elazığ) made of terebinth.

Bitlis loves avşor soup

Bitlis, set in a green valley, is an Anatolian city with a long history, stretching back 5,000 years. You can smell this history in Bitlis' narrow streets, graves, bridges, guest houses, theological schools and old houses. Men in Bitlis leave their houses early in the morning to have a bath in the hamam (Turkish bath) and then go for a soup called avşor. Some think these customs keep the city's economy alive.

Bitlis' Ahlat district has some 8,000 graves remaining from the Selçuk period. They offer some of the most beautiful examples of Selçuk architecture. The Emir Bayındır dome, resting on 10 columns and covering the grave of the Selçuk leader, has become a symbol of Ahlat with its engraved elegance.

Bitlis also has a rich cuisine with its regional foods. Since many of these dishes are difficult and demanding, they are cooked in houses. The oldest food known in the city is the büryan kebab. When in town, you must try this dish, cooked for many hours and with much patience. 

Erzurum’s Kadayıf dolması. Mt. Ağrı. Van’s ayran aşı soup. Kümbet Mosque, Kars. Traditional Van breakfast. The Ebul Menucehr Mosque, Kars. Crater lake by Nemrut Mountain. Bitlis’ honey. Emir Bayindir Kumbeti