Mount Ararat Again Accessible for Climbers

The provincial authorities of Ağrı, Turkey, adjacent to Armenia, announced in 2015 that due to military operations against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the region, Mount Ararat (Ağrı in Turkish) would receive the status of a 'special security' zone. This was reported by ermenihaber.

As a result of this designation, climbing the mountain was officially prohibited for climbers. Despite this ban, over the past six years, numerous climbers have managed to ascend the biblical peak through clandestine, illegal routes, often with the assistance of local Kurdish residents.

Now, starting from early February, the official ban will be lifted, and climbers from various countries will be able to obtain permission to ascend the mountain legally.