Erzurum

Erzurum sits at 1,900 metres on the highest major plateau in Turkey, surrounded by mountains that hold snow from October through May. The city has been a strategic stronghold for every power that has sought to control eastern Anatolia — Byzantine, Arab, Seljuk, Mongol, Ottoman, and Russian. Its position at the junction of routes between the Black Sea, the Caucasus, Iran, and the Anatolian interior made it a military crossroads for over a thousand years. The hardness of its climate — it is one of the coldest cities in Turkey — shaped its architecture and its character.

What survives from the Seljuk period (12th–13th centuries) is the city’s most significant contribution to Turkish art and architecture. The Çifte Minareli Madrasa, the Yakutiye Madrasa, and the Three Tombs (Üç Kümbetler) represent some of the finest examples of Seljuk stone carving and architectural design in the country, comparable in quality to the Seljuk monuments of Konya.

When to Visit

Summer (June through September) is the only comfortable visiting season for most travellers. Even then, nights are cool. Erzurum’s winters are long and severe — temperatures regularly reach -20°C or below, and snowfall is heavy. The Palandöken ski resort, on the mountain immediately south of the city, operates from December through March and has some of the highest-altitude runs in Turkey.

How to Get There

Erzurum Airport (ERZ) receives daily flights from Istanbul and Ankara (about 2 hours). The city is a major stop on the eastern Turkish bus network, with connections to Trabzon (about 4.5 hours), Kars (about 3 hours), and Van (about 6 hours). The Doğu Ekspresi train passes through Erzurum on its route between Ankara and Kars.

What to See

Çifte Minareli Madrasa (Twin Minaret Madrasa)

The signature monument of Erzurum, this 13th-century theological school features two brick minarets flanking an elaborately carved stone portal. The portal combines Seljuk geometric patterns, vegetal scrollwork, and calligraphic bands in a composition that ranks among the finest surviving examples of Seljuk architectural decoration. The interior courtyard has been partially restored and serves as an exhibition space.

Yakutiye Madrasa

Built in 1310 during the Ilkhanid (Mongol) period, the Yakutiye Madrasa has a stone portal that blends Seljuk and Central Asian Mongol decorative traditions — palmettes, dragons, eagles, and the tree of life appear alongside Islamic geometric motifs. The building now houses the Turkish-Islamic Arts and Ethnography Museum. The carved stone minaret attached to the side of the building displays particularly fine relief work.

Three Tombs (Üç Kümbetler)

A group of conical-roofed tomb towers dating from the 12th and 13th centuries. The most prominent is the Emir Saltuk Kümbeti, an octagonal structure with carved blind arches and a conical stone dome. The other towers show variations of the form — circular and hexagonal plans, with different carved motifs. Together they illustrate the development of the Seljuk-era tomb tower type that is distinctive to eastern Turkey.

Erzurum Castle (İç Kale)

The inner citadel at the city centre dates in its current form to the 5th century CE (Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II) with later Seljuk and Ottoman modifications. A clock tower — added in 1866 — rises from the keep. Inside, the foundations of a small mosque and a view over the city and the surrounding plateau. The castle provides orientation for understanding Erzurum’s defensive position.

Ulu Cami (Great Mosque)

Built in 1179 by the Saltukid dynasty, Erzurum’s oldest mosque follows a simple plan of seven aisles running perpendicular to the qibla wall. The interior is austere — stone columns, low ceilings, minimal decoration — and conveys the stark functionalism that characterises Seljuk-era religious architecture in eastern Anatolia.

Practical Information

Erzurum’s Seljuk monuments are concentrated in the city centre and can be visited on foot in half a day. The city has mid-range hotels and a dining scene centred on eastern Turkish cuisine: cağ kebab (horizontal-spit lamb, the regional speciality), kuymak (a cornmeal-cheese fondue), and kadayıf dolması (walnut-stuffed shredded pastry). Erzurum serves as a transit point between the eastern plateau and the Black Sea coast (via the Zigana Pass to Trabzon). The Tortum Lake and waterfalls, about an hour northeast, make a worthwhile natural excursion.

One Thing Most Visitors Miss

The Rüstempaşa Bedesteni, a 16th-century covered market designed by the Ottoman master architect Mimar Sinan, still operates as a commercial bazaar selling Erzurum’s signature craft: oltu taşı (jet stone) jewellery. The black stone, mined from the nearby Oltu Valley, is carved into rings, prayer beads (tespih), and decorative objects. The craft workshops inside the bedesten continue a tradition that predates the building itself.

Erzurum does not soften its edges for visitors. The altitude and the cold shaped everything — the food, the architecture, the temperament.