Photographing A Natural Hot Spring Wonder in Eastern Türkiye

Among the furthest Eastern provinces of Türkiye, where the altitude rises steeply and dormant volcanoes tower like sultans over their empires, lies one of the country’s most spectacular sights. This is a place that draws in intrepid travellers, those keen to leave the well-trodden paths of Cappadocia 1,000km behind them in the rearview mirror. 

Nestled in the foothills of the Armenian Highlands, the highest plateau in Western Asia, at the foot of one of the tallest volcanoes in Türkiye, lies a hot spring. Hot water spews from the belly of the Nemrut Dağı volcano across the vast Iron Marshes below, which in itself would be a location unique and awe-inspiring enough to write about, but it’s the locals who use these hot springs that make them so noteworthy, and we don’t just mean the villagers.

The Iron Marshes, Bitlis province.

The paved road departs shortly after entering the village of Budakli, a ramshackle cluster of stone and mud buildings, and a bumpy dirt track winds around a conical hill and down into the wide open steppe intercut with reedy waterways that makes up the Iron Marshes.

It is a vision unto itself, pale green grassland that stretches endlessly flat all the way to the villages  beyond, bookended by the omnipresent Nemrut Dağı to the East. The road crests, and just beyond this wisps of steam float up from pools of earthy water, catching the low sunlight for a brief moment and then disappearing. Flocks of birds caw and take flight, soaring over herds of dark figures grazing across the land: water buffalo, the very thing that’s drawn us to this spot.

Arriving at Budakli hot spring, with Nemrut Dagi in the background.

When researching for hot springs in Türkiye this location was one of our earliest findings, reported to be a magnet for photographers from as far away as Istanbul in a region that sees comparatively few tourists, and like them we had made the long journey here full of hope and expectations. We set up camp as the sun bows below the wide horizon, alone in this vast, dark valley.

The morning brings with it crisp air, a light frost and hundreds of water buffalo making their way down from the barns of Budakli village. No sooner have we grabbed our camera than they are sloshing their way into the steaming pools, soaking, rolling and charging. Their eyes fix ours with wary looks as we snap away, but they are otherwise unfazed; chewing cud, occasionally rolling onto their backs with hooves in the air. The dark figures silhouetted against the steam create a perfectly harmonious scene, a natural photography studio. A tourist attraction it was not, with no infrastructure and mounting piles of rubbish tarnishing the site, but even so it was a unique, once-in-a-lifetime moment for us.

Originating in South East Asia, water buffalo bathe to regulate their body temperatures, but while they typically bathe to cool their bodies in hot climates, these buffalo prefer to keep warm on cold days, ensuring their survival through the harsh winters here. Their wide-hoofed feet prevent them from sinking in mud so they can roam freely across the marshes, making this the perfect breeding ground for the herds.

The villagers of Budakli depend heavily on the water buffalo to provide them with an income, selling the cheese and butter made from their milk. According to them, bathing in the hot springs heals the buffaloes' wounds, alleviates discomfort in their udders and makes quality milk. 

Unfortunately the population of water buffalo has steeply declined in recent years due to the extensive loss of wetlands, as the water of the marshes is drained away for use in intensive agriculture. In addition to the water drainage, every Autumn the local people cut and harvest huge quantities of reeds and catch fish from the lakes, all three of which are integral to the nesting and breeding of birds. The Iron Marshes are one of the most important bird breeding areas in Türkiye, and their decline would have profound impact on the sensitive eco systems here. 

Fortunately the region was declared a “Sensitive Area to be Strictly Protected" in 2022, although as with many environmental efforts in Türkiye, it could be another case of too little too late.

As we’re taking photos, a horse and cart approaches with a man standing atop of it, hollering and clutching the reins; he is one of the residents of Budakli village who has come to wash his horse. It is a handsome animal, with shiny dark hair and a long muzzle adorned with beads. He removes its collar and shafts and leads it into the steaming pool before stripping off himself to join. He combs the stiff hair of its back, scrubs its teeth with his fingers and splashes water gently onto its face, which the horse seems to enjoy, lifting its head into the droplets. He performs tricks for us, standing on the horse’s back, riding it around and making it jump up on its rear legs- none of which the horse seems to enjoy.

He explains to us while drying off that the villagers bring their horses here throughout the winter, to wash off the dirt from long periods spent in the stables, and give the horses a chance to stretch their legs and warm up during times when temperatures can reach -20ºC. We learn that his family has been farming the land here for over 50 years, during which time they’d taken ownership of the hot springs, and overseen the building and subsequent demolition of a spa building.

We couldn’t imagine a more idyllically simple lifestyle, rearing livestock and bathing in hot springs amongst what had to be one of the most wildly beautiful areas of Türkiye, yet he tells us that he plans to leave his family’s farm behind and seek work in Germany. This is a growing trend amongst young Turks, who leave their home country in search of better incomes, job prospects and ultimately living conditions.

In particular, Kurdish majority regions in the East of Türkiye such as Van and Bitlis (where we now found ourselves) were consistently ranked among the poorest in Türkiye¹, where country-wide rates of inflation soared above 85% in 2022.² This coupled with low earnings and increasingly restrictive laws against freedom of speech means up to 82% of under-30’s say they would like to leave Türkiye and work abroad³.

The figures may seem shockingly high, but it was a story we’d heard from people all over the country, who defaulted to speaking to us in German once they realised we were foreign.

Although there were plans to develop Budakli into a thermal tourism centre these never came to fruition, striking a win for environmentalism but undoubtedly a loss for the villagers scraping a meagre income from agriculture. Developments like these were always a double-edged sword, bringing job prospects to impoverished areas but siphoning valuable natural resources and changing their landscapes irrevocably.

We decline to join our new friend in the pool, thank him for his time, and watch his horse and cart gallop back up the dusty track.

Fortunately for those who don’t fancy bathing in a heady mix of excrement and tuberculosis, there is another pool for humans to bathe in, a milky green colour bubbling with noxious gases that are best kept at arm’s length. Our soak was spectacular, particularly when a layer of fresh snow fell and carpeted the land around us, but we couldn’t help wondering if the next time we passed through here Budakli might be an altogether unrecognisable place- for better, or for worse.

1- https://anfenglishmobile.com/news/kurdish-cities-are-among-the-poorest-in-Türkiye-22604

2- https://tradingeconomics.com/Türkiye/inflation-cpi

3- https://www.dw.com/en/germany-dramatic-increase-in-number-of-turkish-refugees/a-63719538

Watch the video feature on the water buffalo of Budakli here.

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