Travelers considering Sancak as a destination will find a striking landscape feature in Buban Bacaları. The formations are located in Oğuldere in the municipality of Sancak and are geomorphological features of natural and scenic beauty. Local and international visitors come especially in spring and summer to take photographs and enjoy the views.

Buban Bacaları: Cone-Shaped Tuff Formations

The distinctive cone-shaped rock formations of Buban Bacaları are believed to have formed as flash floods or high water from the valley slopes and wind wore away the layers of tuff. Looking at the formations, visitors can connect the visible landscape with a geological explanation that identifies water and wind as possible forces. The presumed origin is part of the picture, as is the striking conical shape itself.

Visiting and Getting There

The Buban Bacaları site can be reached from the Bingöl-Sancak road near Sudüğünü and lies about 10 km east of the highway. The connecting road is in very poor condition and is damaged in many places; road conditions can change. Therefore, check current conditions before setting out. For planning, distance and road condition are two distinct considerations: the roughly 10 km describes the site’s location east of the highway, while the poor condition refers to the connecting road itself. Do not base your preparations on the distance alone.

The Historic Urartu Road in Sancak

The Historic Urartu Road also passes through Sancak. Its route runs from Karakoçan via Kığı and Sancak to the Karacehennem Forests in Karlıova. It is believed to have been built by the Urartians about 2,800 years ago; the road was discovered in the 1980s. The two dates describe different stages: the presumed construction date lies far in the past, while the discovery took place in the 1980s. This connects the route through Sancak with a specific, but explicitly estimated, historical context.

More places to explore in the broader destination of Bingöl

The broader destination of Bingöl also offers other distinct attractions with a different seasonal and cultural focus. The Hesarek ski facilities are located in Bingöl, in the village of Dikme in the Hesarek area, 34 km from Bingöl city center. They have three ski runs: a 1,200 m chairlift run, a 1,000 m T-bar lift run, and a 200 m baby lift run. A municipal description from 2021 gives the ski season at Hesarek as four to five months; its length can vary with snow conditions. This seasonal profile differs from Buban Bacaları, which is visited especially in spring and summer.

The Zağ Caves in Bingöl also offer a glimpse into history. They are dated to the beginning of the 5th century AD and attributed to early Christian Late Antiquity, or the Late Roman–Early Byzantine period. Christian communities are believed to have used the caves as secret places of settlement, living, and worship when they were under pressure from the Roman Empire. The caves can be reached from the Bingöl–Solhan–Muş road via the Gökçeli–Kuşburnu village road that branches off.

Discover more destinations: Kalkanlı, Çayağzı, Bingöl, Yiğitler Köyü, Topraklık Köyü

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