Ahirdaği

hike | 2024-07-20

After a superb breakfast in Kahramanmaraş, we briefly explore the area and spot the enticing Ahirdaği peak. Checking the maps shows a P300 road leading straight to the summit. With some time on our hands, we head towards the communication masts at the top. Soon, we park near the high point and walk a couple of hundred meters to what we think is the highest spot.

Kahramanmaraş surprises with more than just its long name; since 1973, it’s been called Kahramanmaraş, meaning “heroic” to honor the Battle of Marash.

From the summit, the city looks moderately sized, housing around 571,000 people.

The summit boasts a handful of communication masts and scattered constructions, one oddly resembling a firefighter watchtower.

The blue waters of Menzelet Reservoir shimmer.

Our next destination is likely Ahir Daği.

On February 6, 2023, the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquakes, centered in Pazarcık and Elbistan, devastated much of the city.

We take in the views, snap a few photos, wave to the person in the watchtower, and then drive back down the same route. Next, we head towards the Ahir Daği summit, which we estimate to be at least P940. It’s a nice bonus on our way to Engizek Dağı.

Ahirdaği	1820 m altitude	312 m prominence
Ranges	Anatolia - Central Anatolia
Countries/regions	Turkey - Kahraman Maras
Distance	0.20 km up	0.20 km down
Elevation	9 m gain	9 m loss
Time	0h03 up 0h10 other	0h03 down 0h16 total
Trailhead	1810 m altitude	37.6298280, 36.8717600
Route	The road ends a hundred meters from the high point. We walked past the buildings and around back to find the highest point.
Difficulties	Unsure if the person at the watchtower was thrilled about our visit, we hurried back to the car and closed the doors as quickly as possible.
Links	GPX trail