Bingol, Turkey

Bingol, 144 kms east of Elazig, is located in a high region of the broad Eastern Anatolian plateau. Mountains surround the area, reaching heights of about 3000 m, and containing many glacier lakes giving the city its name of "a thousand lakes". Kalatepe peak (3250 m) on the Bingol Mountains, near the town of Karilova 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 has good facilities for hunting, thermal bathing and winter sports. There is a very interesting small lake (300 sqm), in which there is the floating natural island, at Hazersah village near Solhan.