Artabel Gölleri Tabiat Parkı, nestled among Gümüşhane's unique natural beauties, has opened its new season with the conquering of challenging trails behind snowy mountains and the blooming of colorful endemic flowers. The region, which welcomes nature lovers with its unique scenery, sea of fog, and historical ruins, received full marks from its first visitors.
Artabel Gölleri Tabiat Parkı, located in Gümüşhane and known for its rich flora and glacial lakes, has opened its new season to visitors as the weather warms up. A small group consisting of academics and nature enthusiasts organized a hike to the region to discover the hidden beauties behind the snowy mountains.
Artabel Gölleri Tabiat Parkı, declared a nature park in 1998 and covering an area of approximately 58,590 decares, brings together the 3,331-meter summit of Abdal Musa Tepesi, numerous glacial lakes, endemic plant species, and wildlife in the same geography. The team, which completed an approximately 11-kilometer challenging trail, ascended to an altitude of 3,149 meters, finding the opportunity to examine the glacial lakes and historical sites in the region.
The sad story of Ahtabur Gölü was examined on site
During the nature walk, the group visited more than 10 lakes and water bodies in the region, reaching Ahtabur Gölü, which has a poignant narrative among the public. Participants, who listened to the historical rumor on site that an Ottoman battalion lost its way due to dense fog during the Ottoman-Russian War, fell from a cliff into the lake, and became martyrs, climbed to the upper part of the lake. Nature lovers, examining the headquarters ruins, trenches, and martyr graves at an altitude of 3,149 meters, witnessed moments where sad history and nature intertwined.
"We welcome all nature lovers to Artabel"
Academician Fatma Cebeci Aydın stated that they love Artabel very much and will return to this route several more times throughout the summer. Expressing that they benefited from the unique beauties offered by nature, Aydın said, "Here, we had the opportunity to see historical trenches and examined the headquarters ruins. It was a beautiful experience for us. The colorful flowers are in place as always. We know that when we come back in two or three weeks, different flowers will greet us. We welcome all nature lovers to Gümüşhane and Artabel Gölleri Tabiat Parkı."
Fatma Cebeci Aydın stated that the issue that saddened them the most during their visit was environmental pollution, saying, "On this visit, we saw that people have started leaving trash here. This truly saddened us. We kindly ask everyone who comes here to take their trash with them."
"A unique place that people from all walks of life should come and see"
Another participant in the group, Damla Atalay, stated that they reached high altitudes by traversing challenging snow masses and that nature greeted them very vibrantly. Atalay, noting that the view created by the fog clouds on the hiking route made them happy, said, "Gümüşhane has many beauties, but I definitely think Artabel has a different kind of natural beauty. We saw multiple flower varieties and the endemic inverted tulip. With its mountain scenery, sea of fog, and wildlife, this is definitely a unique trail that must be visited and seen."
Known as a "must-see place before you die" with its rich flora, endemic plant species, waterfalls, streams, historical artillery roads, trenches remaining from the Ottoman-Russian War, high peaks, and more than 20 large and small glacial lakes, Artabel Gölleri Tabiat Parkı stands out not just as a nature park, but as a unique living space where light meets water, and nature rewrites itself, and is known as one of Gümüşhane's most important destinations