Two high-altitude shelters for mountaineers are being installed on Mount Ağrı in Turkey for the first time.

Emergency shelters will be installed at elevations of 4,200 meters and 4,650 meters along the main ascent route

AGRI

Construction has begun on two high-tech rescue modules on the slopes of Mount Ararat, Turkey’s highest peak. The special “life rooms” are intended to protect mountaineers from extreme weather and altitude sickness.

According to the administration of Ağrı Province, the rescue shelters will be placed at key points along the route—at elevations of 4,200 and 4,650 meters above sea level.

Each module is designed for groups to remain self-sufficient for between 8 hours and a day. This is enough time to wait for professional rescuers to arrive.

The cabins will be equipped with everything necessary for survival. Radios and emergency buttons will be installed inside for direct communication with the unified 112 emergency center. Each shelter will be stocked with comprehensive first-aid kits.

The shelters are protected on the outside by vandal-resistant, wind-resistant cladding, whose assembly has already been fully completed. The high-altitude shelters will help minimize accidents caused by sudden storms and sharp drops in visibility on Turkey’s five-thousand-meter peak.

Mount Ağrı attracts mountaineers year-round thanks to its glaciers that never melt

Mount Ağrı, standing 5,137 meters high and located in the Doğubayazıt district of Turkey’s Ağrı Province, remains a popular year-round route for mountaineers from around the world.

The legendary five-thousand-meter peak maintains this status thanks to the enormous glaciers that never melt on its summit—the largest ice cap in Turkey is located here, and its lower boundary does not fall below 4,800 meters. Year-round glaciation combined with a harsh microclimate attracts extreme-sports enthusiasts even during the winter months.

The volcanic massif rises dramatically above the Doğubayazıt plain, creating unique conditions for high-altitude ascents. Because of these natural features—namely, sharp temperature fluctuations and storm-force winds on the ice cap—Turkish authorities decided to build two high-altitude shelters.

The safety modules at elevations of 4,200 and 4,650 meters will serve as the last intermediate rescue points before mountaineers step onto the open glacier.

Mountaineers arriving in the Doğubayazıt district of Ağrı Province not only from Turkey but from around the world set out on a difficult trek after completing the legal formalities and reach a camp at an elevation of 3,200 meters.

To acclimatize to the altitude, they spend the first night in tents. On the second day, the mountaineers resume their ascent and reach the second camp at 4,200 meters. After resting there for some time, the climbers begin their ascent during the night, follow difficult trails, and reach the summit at dawn.

This year, around 6,000 mountaineers received permits to climb

Doğubayazıt District Governor Mustafa Ayvat told Anadolu that ascents of Mount Ağrı are officially carried out in accordance with regulations updated in 2026 by the provincial administration.

According to official data, around 6,000 mountaineers received permits to climb Mount Ağrı this year, Ayvat noted. He said that about 85% of them, approximately 5,000 people, are foreign tourists.

Ayvat said that the shelters were created so that mountaineers could stop in the event of possible health problems and adverse weather conditions and wait for rescue teams to arrive.

According to him, the shelters were installed near the summit, within direct sight of one another. “This year, for the first time in Turkey, we installed rescue shelters on the mountain—on Mount Ağrı at elevations of 4,200 and 4,650 meters. Mountaineers who are not accustomed to such altitudes are sometimes unable to continue their ascent because of altitude sickness and other altitude-related health problems. To address this issue and provide them with a safe place to wait for the 112 teams to arrive, we created rescue shelters for the first time,” the agency’s source said.

The district governor noted that people will be able to remain in the shelters for 8 hours, 10 hours, or a day while waiting for teams from the 112 Emergency Call Center to arrive. “We have created safe conditions that will give mountaineers a chance to rest and allow them to wait for the teams to arrive, helping prevent deaths and injuries,” he added.