(DHA Photo)
The ice cap on Mount Ağrı in the eastern province of Ağrı shrank from 15 to 5 square kilometers, triggering warnings of potential mudflows following a deadly glacier collapse near Nepal.
Satellite measurements show the mountain’s glacial valleys retreated to 4,900 meters from 3,600 meters in the early 1900s, Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University Faculty of Arts and Sciences Geography Department Professor Faruk Kaya said. Kaya linked the local risk to an Aug. 26 ice avalanche on the northern face of Langtang Lirung peak on the Nepal-Tibet border, leaving over 1,000 dead and nearly 5,000 missing people.
Mount Ağrı experienced a similar event in 1840 when a mudflow destroyed Ahura village in the northeast Cehennem Deresi valley, making it the best-known glacier-sourced disaster in Türkiye’s history, Kaya said. A 2019 Geomorphology journal study debated the event’s mechanics, with theories ranging from a 21-kilometer rock-ice avalanche down the valley to rapid snow-ice melt triggered by an earthquake and possible volcanic activity.
Historical sources report the death toll varied between 1,300 and 1,700 people, Kaya said. The disaster completely destroyed Ahura, a settlement dating back to the 8th century, though locals quickly rebuilt it as Yenidoğan.
Recent ethnographic research shows that the ancient village, traditionally believed to be where Noah and his children spread across the world, reflects a cultural memory of locals living alongside frequent natural disasters, Kaya said.
The same valley saw a glacial mudslide in June 2021 and mud floods triggered by melting ice on July 30, 2026. Sudden glacier-melt flows turned into a recurring pattern in valleys surrounding Mount Ağrı during summer months, Kaya said.
Short-term events in 1921 and 1926 prove that the peak’s ice mass carries risks requiring close observation, Kaya said. He called for systematic satellite monitoring and periodic field studies of Türkiye’s glaciated mountains, including Cilo, Süphan and Kaçkar, to evaluate slope deformation and evacuate settlements near stream beds.
Mount Ağrı stands as Türkiye’s highest peak at 5,137 meters. While experts do not expect Himalaya-scale glacial lake outbursts in the country, climate change accelerates local ice retreat and rock avalanche risks. This continuous risk mirrors international events like the 2021 Chamoli disaster in India, altering hazard profiles for vulnerable mountain communities across the region.
