A host of multiple climates and lush nature, Türkiye attracts millions of tourists every year. Its mountains have their fair share of visitors too. Climbers flock to the country from around the world to reach the peak of its famed mountains. Mount Ağrı among them, the tallest in the country, is also one the most popular destinations.

Professor Ersan Başar, president of the Turkish Mountaineering Federation, says Ağrı, which is mostly located in the eponymous eastern province, has hosted more than 20,000 climbers this year and most of them were foreigners.

A dormant volcano, the mountain has fascinated climbers for centuries, with the first climbing efforts for the peak dating back to the Middle Ages. The first recorded ascent was in 1829. In the early 2000s, it was closed for climbers without permission, due to the high risk of terrorism. The PKK terrorist group, which carried out terrorist attacks in southeastern and eastern Türkiye for decades, also used the mountain as a hideout. Operations in recent years have largely wiped out the PKK presence in the region.

The snowcapped mountain is dubbed "Türkiye’s roof" for its height. According to myths, Noah’s Ark is said to have landed on the mountain after the Great Flood. For this reason alone, it is a place of attraction for many tourists, both local and foreign.

The 5,137-meter-high (16,854-foot-high) mountain has two peaks, including one called Inönü, or Little Ağrı, at a height of 3,898 meters. It is also among the rare mountains with a large ice cap, at a size of 10 square kilometers (nearly 4 square miles), and the largest glaciers among the mountains in the country. Though glaciers are exposed to melting due to climate change, it once boasted 11 glaciers at lengths between 1 and 2.5 kilometers.

Başar told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Wednesday that their federation was also organizing various events to draw climbers to Ağrı, including an International Mount Ağrı Climb where mountaineers reached the peak on Aug. 30, Türkiye’s Victory Day.

He said the mountain was the primary destination for climbers, along with Aladağlar and Erciyes in central Türkiye. Başar pointed out that climbing tourism was an important source of revenue as they "spend more than other tourists."

"They are provided with transportation and guidance services. They purchase or rent equipment, so their expenditure is higher," he said. Başar noted that climbing activities in Türkiye surged after the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted international flights and confined many at home.

"Türkiye is in a very good spot in terms of climbing. We have a few mountains at the height of 3,000 meters and above, like Erciyes and Kaçkar. We host a center of attraction compared to Europe because our mountains are more diverse and you can climb them in the summer or winter. We also have good destinations for rock climbing like Aladağlar or Geyikbayırı in Antalya," Başar said.