Population: 4,000
With time on your hands while in Elazığ you might like to make a side trip out to Keban, the small town closest to the dam that flooded the area between Elazıg and Pertek in 1974. At the time some 25,000 people had to be relocated and a number of settlements were submerged. Finds from the archaeological sites are housed in Elazığ Museum. The reservoir created by the dam is said to be the fourth largest lake in Turkey.
Like Pertek and Tunceli, Keban has a lovely mountain setting even if it is a mainly modern village now. However, it is home to a particularly lovely late Ottoman mosque complex, the Yusuf Ziya Paşa Külliyesi, built in 1793, which sits in a dip overlooked by the mountains. Despite its lovely lead-covered roofs and domes the mosque doesn’t look especially large from the outside so it comes as quite a surprise to step inside and find yourself beneath a soaring dome that wouldn’t be out of place in İstanbul. There are many things to enjoy here, including a fine stone-carved mimber and an attractive hünkür mahfil, a sort of elevated wooden kiosk to the left of the door. Even the main door and the window-frames repay closer inspection for their fine carving.
The complex included a small lead-domed mektep (primary school) which sits on a little raised platform to one side of the courtyard. Unfortunately you’ll probably find it locked.
The locals told me that the hamam survived nearby in ruins but I didn’t have time to find it.
Close to the mosque a solid stone wall looks at first as if it might have been a caravanserai. If the intruded metal doors are open it’s worth taking a peek inside, whereupon you’ll see that it was once a large Armenian church rather like the one in Elazığ. Locals suggested that it was built at the same time as the mosque although there was no information available to confirm this. Apparently frescoes survived on the walls into the 1970s although they are now lost.
If you stay on the dolmuş from Elazığ it will take you all the way to the dam, crossing the Fırat (Euphrates) river on the way. A pleasant riverside restaurant offers grilled trout (ızgara alabalık) with a sprinkling of pepper to spice it up in the local way.
An alternative place for a picnic or light lunch is the Çırcır Şelalesi (waterfall) which sits to the left of the road as you drive in from Elazığ.
Transport info
Frequent minibuses to Keban leave from the Minibus Terminal in Elazığ. They run to a timetable although extra buses are put on at busy times – demand seems to exceed supply. Fewer services run at weekends.
Coming back, the minibuses leave from opposite the Yusuf Ziya Paşa Cami. Ask to be put off at the Oğretmenevi (Teachers House) in Elazığ which is at the end of the main road through town, so within walking distance of most of the hotels.
Nearby areas
