Mount Erciyes

Overview

From almost anywhere in Kayseri, a white cone fills the southern sky. On clear days you can even see it from the rock valleys of Cappadocia, far to the west. In winter, gondolas carry skiers up its slopes, while in summer climbers scramble toward a summit high above the plain. This is Mount Erciyes, the highest mountain of Central Anatolia. For a day on the slopes, see our Erciyes ski day. In Kayseri, see the Hunat Hatun Complex. From Cappadocia, our Kayseri day trip covers the Seljuk city and its food.

Mount Erciyes is a sleeping volcano and a big ski resort at the same time. So it pairs well with a trip to Cappadocia, for the snow or simply for the view. In Kayseri itself, see the Seljuk madrasas of Gevher Nesibe. For the slopes, read our guide to skiing near Cappadocia.

Mount Erciyes, Kayseri’s Volcano

The volcano stands in Kayseri province, south of the city of Kayseri. Its snowy summit dominates the plain.

Its Turkish name comes from the Greek Argaios, meaning “bright” or “white”. An ancient tradition held that both the Black Sea and the Mediterranean could be seen from the top.

Mount Erciyes, a Sleeping Volcano

How the volcano grew

Erciyes began to form millions of years ago, in the Miocene. During the Pleistocene, the main cone grew inside an older caldera, together with a group of lava domes. Its last eruptions took place in the early Holocene, and their ash may have reached as far as Palestine. Today, by contrast, the volcano is dormant.

Ice on the summit

During the Ice Age, glaciers covered the upper slopes. One small glacier still survives near the summit, but it is shrinking.

The legend of Cis Hatun

Over the centuries, local legends also grew around the mountain. In one, a chief promised his daughter, Cis Hatun, to her lover if he killed the fire-breathing dragon of Erciyes. The young man set out, she tried to stop him, and both died in the flames. Her wedding dress stayed on the mountain, and it became the snow that covers the summit.

Skiing on Mount Erciyes

The ski center

Today the Erciyes Ski Center lies about 25 kilometers (16 miles) from the center of Kayseri. Its lifts start on the Tekir plateau and climb high up the mountain, and its slopes range from gentle to steep. It has 41 runs, four gates at Develi, Tekir, Hisarcık and Hacılar, and gondolas at Tekir and Hacılar. A ski school teaches beginners and children, and on Fridays and Saturdays in the season, a lit run at Tekir stays open in the evening. The season runs from mid-November to early May, while December to April offers the most reliable snow. For the rest of the country in the snow months, read Turkey in January.

Staying on the mountain

Hotels stand at about 2,200 meters near the resort’s gates, so you can stay right on the mountain. The road is asphalt and usually kept open in winter. However, when snow falls, the gendarmerie turns back drivers who do not carry chains, so pack them if you drive yourself.

Seeing Mount Erciyes from Cappadocia

On a clear morning, look east from the hills around Göreme or Uçhisar Castle, and you will see the white summit on the horizon. Ash from Erciyes and its neighboring volcanoes also helped create the soft rock in which Cappadocia’s fairy chimneys and cave churches were carved.

How to Visit Mount Erciyes

• By air: Kayseri Erkilet Airport is the nearest airport to the ski center.
• By road: drive from Kayseri via Hisarcık toward the Tekir plateau; in snow, chains may be required.
• Combine it with the cave churches of the Göreme Open-Air Museum, about an hour’s drive west.
• Before or after, visit the Bronze Age mound of Kültepe, ancient Kanesh, northeast of Kayseri.
• For birdwatchers, the flamingos and reed beds of the Sultan Marshes lie south of the mountain.
• In the city, try Kayseri manti, the tiny dumplings the region is famous for.
• Another ski mountain: Uludağ above Bursa has its own gondola from the city.