Van, Turkey witnesses summer blooms beside winter snow

In June, the city of Van in eastern Turkey displays an unusual contrast: low‑lying plains and fields are carpeted with bright red, yellow, blue and purple flowers, while just a few kilometres away the 3,000‑metre‑high Karabet Pass, Turkey’s highest mountain pass, is still covered by meters‑deep snow.

The warm sunshine has opened the valley around Lake Van to tourists and locals who are photographing the “two seasons in one day.” Residents say the road over the Karabet Pass, which had been closed for a week, has now reopened but remains hazardous. Traveller Muhammed Ürken noted, “We were walking among flowers just 20 km away, then we encountered snow up to five metres high.”

The snow is expected to remain through the coming months; locals explain that winter in the high plateau lasts around nine months, with another winter period beginning in about three months. The phenomenon has drawn attention to Van’s natural scenery and highlights the sharp climatic differences across a short distance.