Sarykamysh (city)

Sarykamysh is located at an altitude of about 2100 above sea level on a treeless intermountain plain in Eastern Turkey, and mountains covered with pine forests approach the city from several sides. One of the peaks - Dzhibiltepe with a height of 2700 m was quite convenient for arranging ski slopes.

Climate

The climate is sharply continental : cold snowy winters, exhausting sultry summers.

Historically, the territory on which Sarykamysh is located was part of the Vanand Ghawan region of Ayrarat of Great Armenia ^{[1] [2] [3]} .

In 1877 it became part of the Russian Empire (Soganlug site of the Kars district of the Kars region ).

During the First World War , a battle between the armies of the Russian and Ottoman empires took place near Sarykamysh, on both sides the main losses were frostbitten . Sarykamysh defensive battle ended in victory for the Russian troops.

At the beginning of 1915, General N. N. Yanushkevich , Chief of Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Imperial Army , wrote to Minister of War Sukhomlinov about the upcoming trip of Nicholas II to the front: “It is not yet known where the emperor will go. Really wants closer to shrapnel . You deigned to ask (about George ) about a trip to Sarykamysh [Sarakamysh] ... ” ^[4]

He was part of independent Armenia . Since 1921 as part of Turkey.

Until 1915, the population was mainly Armenians ^{[3] [5]} and migrants from the Caucasus - Chechens and Ossetians Muslims. After World War I, there were practically no Armenians here, and Ossetians moved to large cities, and now Sarykamysh is mainly inhabited by Kurds . In the new district, built some distance from the city for the needs of the emerging tourism industry, seasonal workers dominate - the Turks .

Sarykamysh is a rather patriarchal eastern city, only recently affected by modern life. In the historical center there is a mosque and a monument to Ataturk . In the resort village there is a monument to an unknown skier. During the Russian rule in the city there was the Orthodox Church of Michael the Archangel at the 156th Elizabethpol Regiment ^[6] .

In the vicinity of the city, at the edge of a pine forest, there is a hunting lodge of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II , built in 1897 from pine in the Russian style. For a long time belonging to the military, only in 2009 the mansion was placed at the disposal of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Kars province. Restoration of the facility has begun ^[7] .

Tourism

The resort area, located a few kilometers from the city at the foot of Dzhibiltepe, is represented by two hotels. The three-star Camkar and the five-star Toprak-hotel, owned by Toprak Corporation, a diversified company with a significant presence in the Turkish economy. It is planned to build several more hotels.

Sarykamysh, due to its natural features, is most of all intended for winter ski vacations and is of international importance as a ski resort (the main flow of tourists is formed in Russia, Ukraine and Western Turkey). In the summer, the resort is a hunting base of national importance.

Since Sarkamysh is a young resort, at the moment there are only 2 chair lifts, the rest (at least 1) are at the design stage.

• The 1st lift Sarycham Telesiezh - 4-chair, starts from a height of 2169 m, ends at a height of 2300 m, the total length of 2000 m.
• The 2nd lift Dzhibiltepetelesiyez - is a continuation of the first, also a 4-chair lift, starts at an altitude of 2300 m, ends under the top of Djibiltepeteles (at 2635 m), the total length of 2000 m.

The resort has 4 ski slopes of all four difficulty levels; 7 more are planned.

• Yeshim Ustaoglu (b. 1960) - Turkish film director and screenwriter.

• Official website of the city
• Official site of the district