Ynt: 39°N 38°E Çimenlik - Malatya
This was my second attempt to visit Confluence 39N 38E and today it was successful.
The story behind it: Since November 2005 I am working in a development project in the city of Malatya, Turkey. What can you do in eastern Anatolia besides working and enjoying the local culture? This was the question which soon came up. A short look on the website of confluence.org gave the answer: There are several unvisited Confluences in eastern Turkey still waiting for conquest.
My first approach to visit this Confluence was on 21 May 2006. I came quite close by car but road conditions were bad and I decided not to walk alone in difficult terrain. So I awaited the visit of my colleague Axel Rothoehler in September for a new attempt. We started at 8:00 a.m. in Malatya and took road 850 to Sivas via Hekimhan. Shortly after Hasançelebi we had to take the gravel road to the right to Çimenlik. According to the GPS, from there it is 10.1 km to the Confluence, which is more or less the distance to the village of Çimenlik. The road first enters a fertile valley and then climbs up to about 1.800 meters. Road conditions are partly difficult but manageable with a normal car. After about 10 km ride, we decided to by-pass the village of Çimenlik.
We stopped at the road side at 39°0.665'N 37°59.088'E when the GPS informed us about a distance of 1.88 km to the Confluence. We had to cross a small river and to climb the mountain. At first it looked as if the Confluence might be at the very top. However, it turned out that the Confluence is behind the mountain about 300 meters south of the peak. The walk up is not really difficult (assumed you have some outdoor experience), but be aware that you have to climb about 500 meters of altitude. It took us about one and a half hour of walk and climbing to reach the peak.
What would be behind the hilltop? A gorge which would impede to move forward? We were lucky! The landscape is hilly but easy to walk. So we could reach the Confluence easily. The views from the Confluence to the South and from the nearby hilltop to the northwest are stunning. Have a look at the pictures!
Werner Klinger - Axel Rothoehler
17-Sep-2006
