Bingöl

Bingöl is the compact capital of Bingöl Province in Turkey's Eastern Anatolia, set on the Bingöl Plain at roughly 1,150 metres. The name means "a thousand lakes," and the surrounding landscape of pine-covered mountains, glacial lakes and high plateaus shapes the city's calm, nature-focused character.

Bingöl grew from the settlement long known as Çapakçur and was given its present name in 1944. Earthquakes in 1971 and 2003 reshaped much of the centre, and today the city combines rebuilt streets, public squares and Bingöl University with a strong role as an administrative and trade hub for the wider province.

The province is best known for natural attractions reached as day trips from the city: the Yüzen Adalar (Floating Islands) on a crater lake near Solhan, the Çır Waterfall, hot springs such as Kös, and the high Bingöl Mountains. Bingöl honey, produced across mountain meadows, is one of the region's most recognisable products.

Although compact, Bingöl works as a practical base for both leisure and business travel. Visitors come for hiking, thermal springs and local food, while the university, public institutions and regional agriculture and livestock trade support steady business activity. Bingöl Airport links the city with Istanbul and Ankara, keeping it connected to Turkey's larger centres.