Mount Hasan

Mount Hasan (Hasan Dağı) is a dormant volcano rising between the provinces of Aksaray and Niğde. According to Kültür Portalı it is the second-highest mountain in central Anatolia after Erciyes: the main summit, Big Hasan, is 3,268 m high and Little Hasan about 3,040 m.

Its twin-coned silhouette is visible from almost everywhere in Aksaray. The tuff that forms Ihlara Valley and the material of Cappadocia’s rock-cut settlements were largely laid down by its eruptions.

Geology: a young volcano

Big Hasan has a well-preserved summit crater surrounded by parasitic cones, while the summit of Little Hasan is a somma preserving the rim of an older caldera. Andesite and basalt lavas spread far to the north, and its tuffs reached as far as the Kızılırmak.

With its fresh volcanic forms, Mount Hasan is counted among Turkey’s youngest volcanoes. There is no record of historical eruptions, but fumaroles appeared at the summit after an earthquake in 2020. Its slopes are covered with oak forest up to about 1,750 m.

Mount Hasan in history

In the Neolithic the area around Mount Hasan was a major source of obsidian (volcanic glass). A wall painting from Çatalhöyük, interpreted by some as the “first landscape” showing an erupting volcano, is thought to depict Mount Hasan — a contested reading, but one that shows the mountain’s importance to prehistoric people. The inhabitants of Aşıklı Höyük also made their tools from local obsidian.

During the Arab–Byzantine wars, Mount Hasan was the second station from the south in the Byzantine beacon system that relayed news from the Taurus Mountains to Constantinople. Mokissos (Viranşehir) on its slopes was an important Byzantine bishopric.

Things to do

Mountaineering, climbing and paragliding are possible on Mount Hasan, as are hiking, cycling and horse-riding around it. The Mount Hasan Ecotourism Area created by the General Directorate of Forestry has 15,679 metres of trails.

• Cycle path: 4,913 m
• Walking path: 9,078 m
• Footpath: 1,688 m
• Helvadere Forest Park along the route

Climbing to the summit

The summit can be reached in a day at a good pace without technical difficulty; the easiest route follows the scree slope on the east side. In winter the slopes can ice over and crampons and an ice axe are needed. On clear days you can see Melendiz, Erciyes, the Aladağlar and the Bolkar Mountains. Plan the climb with an experienced guide and check the weather.

Getting there from Neva Apart

Neva Apart is in Aksaray city centre, a few minutes’ walk from the Zinciriye Madrasa and the Grand Mosque; the distances below are measured from our aparthotel.

The mountain is approached from the north via Helvadere. Kültür Portalı puts it 27 km from the city centre; Helvadere is about a 35-minute drive from Neva Apart, and there is an hourly bus from the centre.

Tips for your visit

Mountain weather changes fast; carry a windbreaker and enough water even in summer, as natural springs are scarce. Do not climb alone and tell someone your route.

Combine it with the Byzantine remains of Helvadere and Viranşehir at its foot for a day of nature and history.

Other places nearby

• Helvadere and the Slopes of Mount Hasan – A town at about 1,350 m on the western slope of Mount Hasan, with a forest park, apple and cherry orchards and Byzantine churches — a cool nature escape.
• Viranşehir (Mokissos / Nora) Ancient City – A Byzantine city at 1,500 m on the slopes of Mount Hasan, made capital of Cappadocia Tertia by Justinian, with 32 churches and 20 cisterns.
• Çanlı Kilise and Rock-Cut Settlement – Near Akhisar village, a 10th–11th-century Byzantine church and a rock-cut settlement of courtyard mansions facing Mount Hasan.
• Ihlara Valley – A 14 km canyon carved by the Melendiz River into the tuff of Mount Hasan, with frescoed rock-cut churches, a green valley floor and Aksaray’s best-known hiking trail.

Sources

• Kültür Portalı – Hasan Dağı (T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı)
• Wikipedia – Mount Hasan

Image credits

• The twin summits of snow-covered Mount Hasan volcano – prilfish, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
• Aksaray city with the 3,253-metre Mount Hasan in the background – Sonse, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons