Mountaineers ascend Mount Ağrı, where Türkiye established its first high-altitude survival shelters to protect climbers from severe weather.
Turkish authorities are installing two high-altitude survival shelters on Mount Ağrı in eastern Türkiye to protect climbers from severe weather and altitude sickness as part of a safety initiative for the country’s tallest peak.
The shelters sit at altitudes of 4,200 and 4,650 meters along the climbing route. They feature completed exterior insulation and interior designs equipped with first aid supplies, radios and emergency buttons connecting directly to the 112 Emergency Call Center.
Mount Ağrı, standing at 5,137 meters in the Doğubayazıt district, attracts mountaineers year-round. Climbers undergo legal procedures before reaching a base camp at 3,200 meters. After spending the first night in tents to acclimatize, they ascend to the second camp at 4,200 meters before a final night climb to the summit.
Doğubayazıt District Governor Mustafa Ayvat said official ascents follow a climbing directive updated by the Ağrı Governorate in 2026. Official figures show around 6,000 permitted climbers attempted the peak this year.
“Foreign tourists make up about 85 percent of this, corresponding to around 5,000 people,” Ayvat said. “We are here today to understand and observe the problems climbers face at the 3,200 and 4,200-meter camps and on their route to the summit, as well as to improve the routes and ensure road security under the ‘Terror-free Türkiye’ process.”
Ayvat said the two shelters are visible to each other and positioned strategically near the summit.
“This is the first time we established a survival room on a mountain in Türkiye, at 4,200 and 4,650 meters,” he said. “Climbers unfamiliar with high altitudes sometimes fail to ascend due to mountain sickness. We built a survival room for the first time to eliminate this and give them time until 112 teams can reach a safe area.”
Climbers unable to continue due to adverse climate conditions can take refuge in the units.
“We designed the living areas at 4,650 and 4,200 meters so they can stay for eight hours, 10 hours or one day until emergency teams arrive. This provides a cooling-off period to prevent loss of life and injuries, creating a safe environment until teams arrive,” he said.
Mount Ağrı dominates the landscape near the border. The dormant volcano holds historical and cultural significance, drawing international expeditions despite its challenging terrain and unpredictable weather patterns at high elevations.
