Kemaliye Voyage Tips and guide

Kemaliye is a town in Eastern Anatolia, perched in a canyon above the Karasu or Western Euphrates River. It used to be known as Eğin, and that name is still used locally. In 2022 its population was 5,200.

The Karasu or Western Euphrates arises in the plains around Erzurum, flowing west then south through a canyon past Kemaliye, to enter Keban Barrage Lake. The Murat or Eastern Euphrates arises near Mount Ararat and flows west to join that lake; until the dam was completed in 1974, the rivers met near Keban. The dam nowadays marks the start of the combined Euphrates, with about 2300 km to go to its confluence with the Tigris in Iraq.

Until 1922 Kemaliye was Eğin, from Old Armenian Akn, a water spring. It was an out-of-the-way place where old architecture and ways of life could survive, and one substantial minority were the Hayhurum community. Hay-hu-rum translates as "Armenian-and-Rûm" ie Byzantium the Eastern Roman Empire. These were ethnic Armenians who'd adopted the Greek Orthodox Church instead of their ancestral Armenian Apostolic Church, since promotion and other social advantages lay that way. They suffered in the Hamidian massacres of 1895 / 96 but were still a sizable population after the First World War. Then the town was renamed for Turkey's leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and Greeks were deported en masse from the new Republic - this included the Hayhurum.

39°15′18″N 38°29′53″E

Map of Kemaliye

D877 twists and turns through the canyon. The easiest approach is from the north at Refahiye, which is on D100/E80 east to Erzincan and Erzurum, west to Niksar, Amasya and eventually Istanbul. D100 here is combined with D200/E88 west to Sivas and Ankara. From the south, D877 starts at Arapgir, connecting to D260 east to Elazığ and west to Divriği and Sivas.

A more adventurous approach from Divriği is the "Stone Road" (Taş Yol), through tight tunnels manually dug from the 1870s, high over the gorge of the Euphrates.

Dolmuşes run from Erzincan (via Kemah, İliç and Bağıştaş), Malatya, and Elazığ.

The nearest railway station is Bağıştaş 30 km north, on the line from Ankara to Kars. Doğu Ekspresi leaves Ankara daily at 18:00 and takes 15 hr 15 min via Kayseri, Sivas and Divriği, to reach Bağıştaş at 09:15 but often way late. It rumbles onward to Erzincan, Erzurum and Kars, another 11 hr 15 min. The westbound train leaves Kars at 08:00 to reach Bağıştaş at 18:45 and Ankara at 10:30 next morning. A regional train also runs twice a day between Divriği, Bağıştaş and Erzincan. For timetables and tickets see TCDD. You're unlike to find public transport to Kemaliye so take a taxi, which is best organised through your accommodation.

Turistik Doğu Ekspresi (also bookable via TCDD) runs the same route twice a week Dec-March and makes extended stops for sight-seeing. One stop is at İliç, 10 km further east along the line, where you can book a tour to see Kemaliye. You wouldn't have time for any activities.

Kemaliye Taksi is on +90 553 183 3677.

• Town centre has well-preserved historic mansions, with stone ground floors and wooden upper levels.
• Kültür Evi ve Müzesi, Hasan Basri Aktan Sk 9 (by Eğin Konaği), ☏ +90 535 323 8707. W-M 10:00-17:00. Ottoman mansion converted into an ethnography museum. Adult 70 TL. (updated Dec 2025)
• Mosques: Tahta Cami at the north edge of town was built in 1848 AD. Orta Cami on the hill above is 17th / 18th century, with Taşdibi Cami opposite.
• 39.24138.5031 Apçağa is a village 5 km south on D877 with canyon views and traditional architecture. Ahmet Kutsi Tecer Kültür Evi is a small museum open daily 08:00-18:00.
• 39.284938.48852 Karasu Bridge is a box girder structure at the point D877 emerges from a tunnel to cross onto the river's west bank, 3 km north of Kemaliye. Kanyon Teras Cafe (daily 09:00-20:00) has boat trips on the river, 250 TL for 30 min. Taşyolu is a dirt road branching upstream on the west bank, passable with care by 2WD and motorbikes.

• Boat trips sail from Teras Cafe and from another point 500 m upstream.
• Via Ferrata is a climbing track up 517 steps to Eğin Rock above Kemaliye. You're required to hire a guide for €100 even if you're an experienced climber.

A handful of little stores in town centre are open daily 07:00-22:00 or later.

Several eating places in town centre.

Cafes may serve alcohol.

• 39.262338.49711 Bozkurt Hotel, Cumhuriyet Cd 16, ☏ +90 446 751 2301. Pleasant old hotel with restaurant in town centre.  (updated Dec 2025)
• Otel Yeşil Eğin is next door at Cumhuriyet Cd 97.
• Meydan Pansiyon is a guesthouse opposite Bozkurt Hotel at Cumhuriyet Cd 59.
• Eğin İnci Pansiyon is 50 m up the hill at Hacı Ali Akın Cd 3.
• Hanımeli Konağı is 100 m north of Bozkert Hotel at Cumhuriyet Cd 64.
• 39.266438.49332 Eğin Konağı, ☏ +90 533 464 2511. Charming hotel along an alley north end of town.  (updated Dec 2025)
• Yuva village has a campsite, 2 km south of Kemaliye.

As of Dec 2025 there is no mobile signal in Kemaliye or on its approach roads. The nearest places with a good 4G signal are Erzincan, Elazığ or Divriği.

• Divriği 95 km northwest has ornate carving in its Great Mosque.
• Elazığ is the next city going southeast, 145 km. The main sight is the former Armenian town of Harput.
• Erzincan is the next city going northeast, 180 km. It has limited sights but might be a stopover heading for Erzurum, Kars and Georgia.