"Nobody sleeps up here." From dodging horse "mines" to testing zero-degree sleeping bags over jagged rocks, here is what 14,000 feet on Mount Ararat really feels like.
Trudging up Biçare Ridge to High Camp, we mimic our legendary guide Celîl, dodged car-sized boulders in Satan's Gulch, and put our neon do-rags to the test.
While hiding from the rain in the mess tent on Ağrı Dağı, a clumsy language lesson with our Kurdish cook, Mustafa, opens a window into Kurdistan’s rich history.
Leaving Çevirme behind, we hike into Ağrı Dağı’s foothills and discover how the modern "vertical life" of Kurdish pastoralists mirrors the camps of Abraham.
Past the Şeyhli Marsh lies Çevirme—a village of stacked stone, red buildings, and centuries of history. Step into the slow, measured pace of a high-altitude expedition.
Facing the pre-climb jitters in Doğubayazıt. Read about the "one lasts" before leaving civilization behind to attempt the 16,000-foot summit of Ağrı Dağı.
Beyond Turkey's İshak Paşa Sarayı lies the tragic ruins of Old Beyazit and a cliffside Urartian city. Discover the deep biblical connections to Ararat.
Standing on the E80 in Doğubayazıt, exploring the medieval history of the Silk Road through the eyes of legendary travelers Marco Polo and William of Rubruck.
Is there a true frontier left? Watching armored vehicles, hearing the call to prayer, and scanning the dark slopes of Ağrı Dağı from a rooftop in Eastern Turkey.
"What were we thinking?" Standing at 17,000 feet in the hazy distance, the traditional Mount Ararat emerges over a landscape shaped by political and geological rupture.
Trekking past the 11,000-foot mark on Ağrı Dağı reveals a secret history. Discover how Linnaeus used Mount Ararat to design his famous taxonomy system.
Plunging temperatures, soaked gear, and a failed tent zipper. Experience the raw reality of trekking through a grueling storm to reach Ağrı Dağı’s Low Camp.