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Muş Voyage Tips and guide

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    Muş is a province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. Its population was 400,000 in 2022. Its provincial seat and largest city is also named Muş.

    Understand

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    Muş Province and its districts

    Muş Province is divided into 6 districts: Muş, Varto, Bulanık, Malazgirt, Hasköy, and Korkut. Its name may come from the Armenian word mshush (մշուշ), meaning fog.

    Kurds make up the majority of the population. The rest are Arabs and Crypto-Armenians, with some scattered villages inhabited by the descendants of the North Caucasians who fled their homeland in the 19th century as the Russian Empire expanded into the area. Turkish and Kurdish are the main languages.

    History

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    Muş is very important in terms of Turkish history. The Battle of Manzikert in 1071, between the Byzantine Empire and Seljuk Turks, was fought in the Malazgirt district of Muş. The decisive Seljuk victory led to the foundation of the earliest Turkish state in Asia Minor, the Sultanate of Rum.

    Climate

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    Get in

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    By plane

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    1 Muş Sultan Alparslan Airport (MSR  IATA) (Muş Sultan Alparslan Havalimanı) (18 km east of the city center). Muş Airport (Q1432103) on Wikidata Muş Airport on Wikipedia

    By train

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    The regional train running between Elazığ and Tatvan (Elazığ-Tatvan Bölgesel Treni) goes through Muş, as does the Lake Van Express (Vangölü Ekspresi) on its route from Ankara via Kayseri, Sivas, Malatya and Elazığ to Tatvan, across plenty of mountainous scenery.

    2 Muş railway station (Muş Tren Garı) (1.5 km north of the D300 roundabout). Muş railway station (Q85455909) on Wikidata Muş railway station on Wikipedia

    By bus

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    3 Muş Bus Station (Muş Otogarı or MUŞTİ) (5 km away from the city center). MUŞTİ (Q122937342) on Wikidata

    By car

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    Get around

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    Map
    Map of Muş

    Taxis and buses are available and cheap.

    See

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    Muş and its vicinity

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    • 1 Haspet Castle (Haspet Kalesi) (on the mountain slope in the central district of Muş). Historical castle. Haspet Castle (Q122936844) on Wikidata Haspet Castle on Wikipedia
    • 2 Murat Bridge (Tarihi Murat Köprüsü). Historical bridge on the Murat River Murat Bridge (Q16632445) on Wikidata Murat Bridge (Muş) on Wikipedia
    • 3 Muş Castle (Kale Parkı).
    • 4 Muş Plain (Muş Valley, Muş Ovası). Offers nice views, especially in the spring. Poppies, which bloom annually in May, paint the Muş Plain a vivid red. Muş Valley (Q16393752) on Wikidata Muş Plain on Wikipedia
    • 5 Surp Marineh Church (Սուրբ Մարինէ եկեղեցի). Ruin of an Armenian church abandoned during the Armenian genocide; only parts of its walls remain. Back in the day, this was the cathedral of the town and the surrounding area. St. Marineh Church, Mush (Q11182263) on Wikidata Surp Marineh Church, Muş on Wikipedia
    • 6 Arakelots Monastery (Մշո Սուրբ Առաքելոց վանք). Ruin of an Armenian monastery destroyed by the Turkish government in the 1960s. Arakelots Monastery (Q2062428) on Wikidata Arakelots Monastery on Wikipedia
    • 7 Muş Grand Mosque (Muş Ulu Camii). Ancient Armenian church converted into a mosque. Muş Grand Mosque (Q98091603) on Wikidata
    • 8 Alaaddin Bey Mosque (Alaaddin Bey Camii).
    • 9 Hacı Şeref Mosque (Hacı Şeref Cami).
    • 10 Yıldızlı Inn (Yıldızlı Han).

    North and West

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    • 11 Künav Cave (Künav Mağarası). Künav Cave (Q122936839) on Wikidata Künav Cave on Wikipedia
    • 12 Lake Akdoğan (Lake Hamurpert). Two neighbouring high-altitude lakes separated by a land strip of 200 m (660 ft). Lake Akdoğan (Q30681483) on Wikidata Lake Akdoğan on Wikipedia
    • 13 Bingöl Mountains (Bingöl Dağları). Bingöl Dağları (Q15856901) on Wikidata Bingöl Mountains on Wikipedia
    • 14 Mercimekkale Mound (Mercimekkale Höyüğü). Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine) archaeological site Mercimekkale Mound (Q118929486) on Wikidata Mercimekkale Mound on Wikipedia
    • 15 Kayalıdere Castle (Kayalıdere Kalesi) (in the Varto district). Historical Urartu castle on a rocky hill. Kayalıdere Castle (Q122936836) on Wikidata Kayalıdere Castle on Wikipedia
    • 16 Yukarıyongalı (Մշո Սուրբ Առաքելոց վանք). Stones and crosses (khachkars) from the destroyed Surb Karapet Armenian monastery are embedded in the walls of many buildings of the village of Yukarıyongalı (or Çengilli). Before Surp Karabet was abandoned in 1915, it was second in Armenian Apostolic Church hierarchy, only to Echmiadzin, the seat of the church. Yukarıyongalı (Q6507510) on Wikidata Surb Karapet Monastery on Wikipedia

    East

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    • 17 Malazgirt Castle (Malazgirt Kalesi). Malazgirt Castle (Q122938178) on Wikidata Malazgirt Castle on Wikipedia
    • 18 Malazgirt Plain. Malazgirt Plain (Q122936866) on Wikidata Malazgirt Plain on Wikipedia
    • 19 Lake Haçlı (Lake Bulanık). Fresh-water lake on a high plateau of 1,600 m (5,200 ft). Lake Haçlı (Q6030769) on Wikidata Lake Haçlı on Wikipedia
    • 20 Bilican Mountains (Bilican Dağları). Bilican Mountains (Q6027083) on Wikidata Bilican Mountains on Wikipedia
    • 21 Esenlik Mosque (Esenlik Ulu Camii). Esenlik Mosque (Q124089355) on Wikidata Esenlik Mosque on Wikipedia

    Do

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    The annual Tulip Festival, at the end of April.

    You can see demoiselle cranes (Grus virgo, known locally as "telli turna") – and hear their distinctive melodic song – in March-April on the islands on the Murat River, in the Bulanık Plain.

    • 1 Muş ski resort (Muş kayak merkezi). Ski resort in Muş. (Q123858082) on Wikidata

    Climbing

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    For climbing in Muş province, Karaçavuş mountains, Bingöl mountains, Göztepe mountain, Akdoğan mountains and Bilican Mountains are a good option.

    Trekking

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    Head to Akdoğan Lake for trekking.

    Dances and songs

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    Muş is known for its folk dances. Typical Eastern Anatolian halay dances can be seen. They are played in the form of games held in a clamp, games held with little fingers (swordsman), applause, and wrapped-on-the-waist games. You can listen to Muş folk songs.

    Buy

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    Shopping malls:

    • 1 Ceylan AVM.
    • 2 Forum Muş.

    Eat

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    Muş grape and Muş honey (light-coloured honey containing pollen grains) are local specialty products. Efforts are being made to develop grape growing.

    Local dishes include:

    • stuffed Muş-style breakfast,
    • hez (prepared by slowly cooking cabbage stuffed with a mixture of meat cubes and rice),
    • çorti (in winter, chopped cabbage leaves),
    • mırtöge (fried egg into a mixture of flour and oil),
    • cavbelek (blending dried yoghurt, called “kurut” in the region, with flour, bulgur, garlic, and onion),
    • helimaşı soup (made of tender meat, boiled until it separates from the bones, as well as chickpeas, lentils, and onions),
    • herse (boiled boneless meat with boiled wheat),
    • kırçik (cucumber peels and onion and pepper roasted in oil), served with the "işkene" sauce (yoghurt, garlic, and butter),
    • teter halva (bread soaked in molasses and topped with cream and hazelnuts),
    • Muş pastry,
    • stuffed cabbage with tomato,
    • Muş's sour meatball (hafta direği),
    • cağ brine (mountain plant is collected in the summer and preserved in jars, like pickles).

    You can eat fish at the trout facilities near Hamurpet Lake.

    Drink

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    Modern "cafés" are more likely to serve alcohol than traditional "kahve". Try the Kurdish coffee (menengiç kahvesi), a caffeine-free coffee-like beverage made from ground roasted terebinth fruits (related to the pistachio).

    • 1 Kahve Kuşağı.
    • 2 Bayramefendi Osmanlı Kahvecisi.

    Sleep

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    There are only a few hotels, including:

    Stay safe

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    • There have been a lot of drowning incidents in the Murat river. Swimming in the Murat river is dangerous.
    • Beware of snakes while walking among the grass in the mountains in spring and summer.

    Stay healthy

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    Tap water may not be safe.

    Connect

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    As of 2023, Muş has 4G but not 5G.

    Go next

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    Routes through Muş
    MalatyaElazığ ← Bingöl ( N / S) ←  W  E  TatvanVan



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