Solar boat explores four southeastern provinces

DİYARBAKIR

Navigating the waters of Atatürk Dam Lake, a new 50-passenger solar-powered boat offers zero-emission tours of submerged historic villages connecting four provinces across southeastern Türkiye.

Operating from the rural Saltepe neighborhood in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır’s Çermik district, the electric vessel navigates the Euphrates River. The route spans neighboring Adıyaman, Şanlıurfa and the eastern province of Malatya.

Çermik attracts health and nature tourists year-round to its hot springs, fairy chimney-like structures on Gelincik Mountain, the Sinek Stream canyon and the Yabanardı and Şeyhandede waterfalls.

With regional temperatures regularly exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, locals flock to the district to cool off. Electric boat operator Sinan Kutlu said the area connects cities on the reservoir, drawing crowds for nature walks, angling, diving and water sports.

“Our boat is eco-friendly. We protect nature, mixing no fossil fuels into the water and generating no noise,” Kutlu said. “Our customers leave satisfied.”

Kutlu said the growing tours take participants directly over a submerged village on the lake, through local canyons and to a waterfall on the Adıyaman border.

“People feel the summer heat to their bones, but we experience a beautiful climate on the water where our four provinces meet,” Yakup Dağeri, a tourist from Adıyaman, said. “Cooling off in this beautiful scenery takes away all your stress, allowing us to see the blessings of our homeland.”

“It is a hidden place I had never heard of although I resided in Diyarbakır for seven years,” Onur Çiçek said. “We came here with friends and saw this hidden paradise, visiting the waterfall and the sunken city.”

Built on the Euphrates River, the Atatürk Dam forms the largest artificial lake in Türkiye. The massive reservoir altered the local geography by submerging historical villages, turning them into a center for water-based tourism.