‘Anemon Trail’ opens for nature and history lovers

MANİSA

A new trekking route called the “Anemon Trail,” rich with natural beauty and ancient heritage, has been opened in the western Turkish province of Manisa for nature enthusiasts and history buffs.

Stretching approximately 18 kilometers, the route starts from the foothills of Mount Spil in the Akpınar area. It was completed through a joint effort by the Manisa Municipality and members of a local mountaineering club.

The project received support from the late Manisa Mayor Ferdi Zeyrek. Volunteers and municipal teams cleared the trails, pruned trees and placed informative signs along the path.

A short climb of about one kilometer from the trail’s starting point leads hikers to a rock relief of Kybele, one of Anatolia’s oldest mother goddess figures, located at an altitude of 130 meters. Another 1.5-kilometer stretch brings visitors to the legendary throne of mythological King Tantalus, believed to have ruled over Western Anatolia. Further along, the path leads to the striking Yarık Kaya Canyon.

Continuing another two kilometers and entering a forest section of around four kilometers, hikers eventually reach the scenic Sülüklü Lake at an altitude of 500 meters. The trail then heads toward the tomb of Kurtoğlu İsmail, a dervish warrior associated with the Saruhanid dynasty’s decade-long conquest campaigns, and ends at the sacred Kybele Cave, carved into solid rock.

Ömer Bülbül, head of the Anemon Mountaineering Club, expressed his joy at the official opening of the trail.

“This is now a roughly 20-kilometer park full of nature and history,” he told the state-run Anadolu Agency. “For years, we tried to find a way to reach the Kybele relief, but it was simply inaccessible due to thick brush. People of Manisa could only view it from afar. When our friend Fahrettin Er proposed this idea, we jumped into action. Working steadily throughout the month of Ramadan, we cleared a beautiful route.”

Bülbül said the successful opening of the path to Kybele gave them the momentum to continue. “We asked, ‘Why can’t we reach the throne of Tantalus too?’ So we opened that path as well. We are proud to have brought this to Manisa.”

Fahrettin Er, a nature enthusiast who initially proposed the idea to both the municipality and the club, said the suggestion was met with enthusiasm.

“The Anemon Trail is right next to the city of Manisa. It’s about 20 kilometers long and features mythological, historical and geological landmarks,” he said. “You’ll encounter the 8.5-meter-tall Kybele rock relief, the Yarık Kaya Canyon, King Tantalus’ throne, a fault mirror, the Sülüklü Lake, the tomb of Kurtoğlu İsmail and the sacred Kybele Cave, all in breathtaking mountain trek.”