BINGOL
: Thermal Resorts Kurucadag mountain
Bingöl, 144 km's east of Elazig,
is located in a high region of the broad Eastern Anatolian plateau. Mountains
surround the area, reaching heights of about 3000 meters (10,000 feet),
and containing many glacier lakes giving the city its name of "a thousand
lakes". Kalatepe peak (3250 m) on the Bingöl Mountains, near
the town of Karliova is a great place to watch the magnificent sunrise,
especially between the 15th of July and the 15th of August.
The history of
the land begins with the Urartians, and continues under the hegemony
of the Persians, the Seljuks and then the Ottomans.
The remains from these periods can be found at various sites, the most important being the medieval fortress inside the city center. The city is small but has good facilities for hunting, thermal bathing and winter sports. There is a very interesting small lake (300 square meters), in which there is a floating natural island, at Hazersah village near Solhan.
Kurucadag mountain at Yolcati district is a small skiing area approximately 25 kilometers (16 miles) to the city center. The season is between February and March where skiers stay in mountain chalet's. On 1000 meters long skiing track there is a 925 meters long telesiege with a capacity of 500 people per hour. It's easily reachable by road with buses as well.
On 1st of May 2003 a terrible earthquake hit the city killing 176 people (mostly elementary school kids sleeping in their dormitory). It struck at 03:27 local time and lasted for 17 seconds, with a Richter scale of 6.4.
Thermal Resorts
Kös Thermal Resort
Location: 18km northeast of Bingol, on the highway to Karliova, in Eastern
Anatolia.
Transportation: Bingol is easily accessible by bus from all
over the country, and there is some private and public transport to the
resort.
Water temperature: 47°C
pH value: 6.1
Physical and chemical properties: Mildly radioactive, containing
sodium, bicarbonate, sulphur and small amount of chlorine.
Recommended
Applications: Drinking and bathing
Helps to heal: Rheumatism, cardiovascular
and gynaecological disorders,
conditions of the respiratory tract, and mental and muscular fatigue.
Accommodation:
Hotel - 60 beds.