Meteor Çukuru

Far Northeast


A minor curiosity for those crossing the Iran–Turkey border with their own wheels, this deep hole – marked as a lake on some maps – is a crater made by a meteor impact in 1892. The site is 37km from central Doğubayazıt, 4km east of the D100; to get here, take the last turn before you reach the main border station. It's so close to the frontier that you might need to leave your passport/ID at the military checkpoint.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Far Northeast attractions

1. Nuh'un Gemisi

9.05 MILES

Lines of rock form the vague shape of a boat on a hillside at Üzengili village, 30km southeast of Doğubayazıt. This constitutes one of half-a-dozen…

2. Baghcheh Juq Palace Museum

9.14 MILES

Built for the sardar (military governor) of Qajar Shah Muzaffar al-Din (r 1896–1907), this striking two-storey mansion sits amid 11 hectares of orchards…

3. Maku Fortress

10.23 MILES

Above the town, under the huge overhanging cliff, lie the ruins of Maku’s former citadel, where the Baha'i faith's Bab was imprisoned for nine months in…

4. Kolah Farangi

10.26 MILES

This historic, octagonal late-Qajar mansion sits in a neglected garden accessed through the unmarked grey gates of a clinic just north of Chahara Sq.

5. İshak Paşa Palace

16.1 MILES

There are few experiences as magical as watching a blazing sunset from behind this ridgetop stone structure, its dome and minaret silhouetted against a…

6. Eski Bayazıt Evi

16.49 MILES

Long before modern Doğuayazıt developed on the plains below, Bayazıt was an ancient city clinging to a series of high slopes and crags. The İshak Paşa…

7. Dzor Dzor Chapel

16.55 MILES

Amazingly photogenic, this Unesco-listed Armenian chapel was relocated to higher ground once the nearby dam filled up. It's a hilly, sometimes snow…

8. Belediye

19 MILES

The city hall is a useful landmark at the south end of the centre.