On a hillside above modern little Dogubeyazit, the area’s main base, stands the fortress palace of Ishak Pasha Palace. Built by the local governor in the late 18th century, it fulfills the romantic notion of a classic oriental pleasure dome – a heady mix of grand portals, towers, turrets, kiosks, domes, and the harem rooms in a spectacularly desolate setting.

 

Very near to here, there are the mountains of Ararat. The visitors can easily view them from the Dogubeyazit area. Even in the peaceful times, climbing the Mount Ararat is strictly for the experts and requires permits and guides. Boat hunters number prominently among the climbers, the Book of Genesis stating that Noah’s Ark came to rest ‘upon the mountains of Ararat’. Yet no corroborated traces of the Ark Beverly ever been found here and it’s very debatable issue at the present times.