Skip to main content
Radar Türkiye
Discover events in the app
Open
Radar Türkiye
From the Red Earth of Narman to Oltu Stone
Cultural

From the Red Earth of Narman to Oltu Stone

No ratings yet

Sign in to like and rate

The northeast of Erzurum is a world very different from the high, open plain around the provincial centre. Geographers place these districts in the Eastern Black Sea Region; the valleys of the streams flowing into the Çoruh basin are lower, milder and more rugged.

Oltu, Erzurum
Cultural
Radar Editör
October 19, 2026

About Trip

The northeast of Erzurum is a world very different from the high, open plain around the provincial centre. Geographers place these districts in the Eastern Black Sea Region; the valleys of the streams flowing into the Çoruh basin are lower, milder and more rugged. This trip brings two faces of that world together. First, in Narman, you walk among rocks turned red by the iron in the soil. Then you cross north to Oltu and watch how a black stone taken from narrow underground galleries becomes a piece of jewellery or a string of beads in the hands of craftsmen. One tells of work done by nature over millions of years, the other of a craft that human hands have learned over generations.

Narman, a red landscape

The Narman district lies about ninety kilometres from Erzurum. Turkish Wikipedia writes that the district centre stands at an average height of more than one thousand six hundred metres, with Oltu to the north and the Horasan, Köprüköy and Pasinler districts to the south. The same source records that the district was long known by the name Mamervan, that the old name of today's town was İdi, and that the name Narman was given in 1954 when it became a district.

The fairy chimneys begin about seven kilometres south of the district centre, right beside the Narman to Pasinler road. The Culture Portal writes that the area is called the "Land of Red Fairies" because of its red colour and unusual landforms. Ministry sources explain the formation like this: material carried by streams into a sedimentary basin built up over time, and then rain and wind wore away this sandy soil, leaving towers and narrow valleys. The oxidation of the iron in the rocks gave them their present red colour. Turkish Wikipedia describes the sediments as layers of sandstone, conglomerate and siltstone from the Neogene period.

It is necessary to be careful about the age. The Culture Portal and the publications of the provincial directorate of culture write that the formation took place two and a half to three million years ago; a news item from the governorship, however, gives a much larger figure. For this reason this article does not present a single age as settled fact; take the range given by the ministry sources as the reference.

The Culture Portal writes that the area was declared a natural monument in 2018 and is protected according to national park principles. The governorship's news item announces that the fairy chimneys were declared a natural protected area, that there are twelve separate valleys in the region, and that work is being done to design the area as a geopark. The same item describes a visitor building beside the road and a walking trail of about one hour that descends on foot through the valley.

Walking in Narman

Start at the viewpoint beside the road and first look at the overall view of the valley. The Culture Portal and the provincial directorate compare this landscape to the Colorado canyon in America; looking down from above, you understand why the red slopes call up this comparison. Then go down the path. The ground is sandy and loose, and slippery in places; wear shoes with firm soles and follow only the marked trail.

Because these rocks are soft they wear away easily. Do not climb the towers, do not carve writing into their surfaces, and do not break off stones from the edges; the area is protected as a natural monument. There is very little shade. Walking at midday in high summer is tiring, so bring water and a hat.

The best times for photography are the beginning and the end of the day. In low-angled light the shadows lengthen and the forms of the towers stand out more clearly. Turkish Wikipedia notes that festivals and exhibitions organised by Atatürk University have contributed greatly to making the area known, and that fairy chimney festivals are held in the summer months; you may want to check the events calendar before you go.

Crossing to Oltu

After Narman your road runs north to Oltu. The Culture Portal gives the distance from Oltu to Erzurum as one hundred and eighteen kilometres and writes that it can be reached by the Oltu vehicles departing from the district terminal in the provincial centre. Turkish Wikipedia states that the district centre was built in the valley of the Oltu Stream, one of the tributaries of the Çoruh, that it stands at about one thousand two hundred and seventy-five metres, and that it lies on the transit road linking Eastern Anatolia to the Eastern Black Sea. The castle rises on a rocky hill above the town; seeing it from a distance is enough to know where you are in Oltu.

Those who love the red landscape of Narman can find a similar natural scene in Oltu too. The provincial directorate's tourism guide presents the district's Rainbow Hills, with red, yellow, brown and orange layers created by different minerals and oxidation in the soil, and writes that these hills formed through the long erosion of tuff and sediment layers. The guide recommends the place especially to nature photographers; ask local institutions about the state of the road before you go.

What Oltu stone is

Oltu stone is regarded as the symbol not only of this district but of all of Erzurum. The Oltu District Governorship writes that the stone is extracted only in and around Oltu, that it is difficult to extract and its reserves are small but it is easy to work, and that it provides a living for hundreds of families. The district governorship also states that, as far as can be understood from the plant fossils within it, the stone is thought to have formed from a mixture of tree resin, clay and lignite.

The geographical indication certificate of the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office describes the stone in detail. According to the certificate, Oltu stone, also called "black amber", is found as lenses a few centimetres thick within layers of Neogene age. It is usually black, sometimes dark brown, and rarely grey or greenish. Underground it is very soft; it hardens on contact with air and becomes shinier the more it is used. It gives a velvety feeling when touched by hand, and with friction it becomes electrically charged and attracts light objects. The certificate gives its hardness as three on the Mohs scale.

The stone is registered as a geographical indication with a designation of origin; the certificate names the Oltu Chamber of Commerce and Industry as the applicant, with protection starting in 2012 and publication in the Official Gazette in 2015. The certificate stresses that the distinguishing quality of the product is that its raw material is extracted in Oltu. Turkish Wikipedia also notes that the stone is counted among precious stones under Mining Law No. 3213.

The stone from the mine

According to the district governorship's account, the stone is extracted from mines opened in the neighbourhoods in the northeast of the district. Access to the mines is difficult, and the galleries opened are around seventy to eighty centimetres in diameter. The work is done with simple tools such as pickaxes, shovels, chisels and hammers; the ore lies in veins three to five centimetres thick that often break off and disappear. The Turkish Patent certificate also writes that the stone is extracted with difficulty by human labour from small mines called galleries. Turkish Wikipedia mentions more than three hundred mines in Oltu.

The mines are working sites, not sightseeing spots. Do not enter the narrow galleries and do not approach the mining areas without permission. For anyone who wants to see where the stone is born, the best way is to listen to what the craftsmen in the district's workshops have to say.

A stone's journey in the workshop

The Turkish Patent certificate describes the steps of processing in order and helps you recognise what you will see in a workshop. The craftsman buys the raw stone by the tin measure or by the kilo. To stop it hardening, the stone is buried in the ground again until the day it will be used. When its turn comes, a piece is chosen with an eye to the foreign matter and cracks inside it, and is broken into small prisms with an adze on a wooden block. This step takes skill so that little is wasted.

The sharp corners of the broken pieces are shaved off with a special steel knife. The waiting stones are buried again in a damp bag so that they do not crack, and the one to be worked is kept in water and taken to the lathe while still soft. The last stage is polishing. The certificate describes both the traditional polish, made by rubbing oil, chalk powder and charcoal from the çırtı tree onto a piece of broadcloth, and the felt-wheeled polishing machine used today. If wished, the polished stone is combined with gold or silver and turned into jewellery.

Turkish Wikipedia notes that for centuries this craft has generally been carried out in one-person home workshops passed down from father to son. The provincial directorate's tourism guide also stresses that the craft has survived to the present by being taught from father to son, and lists the many products made from the stone, such as prayer beads, necklaces, rings and cufflinks. The governorship likewise writes that visitors can meet the craftsmen in Oltu's workshops and see the process at close hand.

Recognising the real stone

Turkish Wikipedia writes that stones brought from elsewhere with partly similar properties are sold under the name Oltu stone, and that these are more brittle and differ in colour. So if you want to buy something, do not rush. The Turkish Patent certificate states that the geographical indication will be used on original products, and that inspection will be carried out under the coordination of the Oltu Chamber of Commerce and Industry by a commission made up of university lecturers and members of the craftsmen's association. One detail in the certificate is also useful: because the beads are worked by hand, their holes are symmetrical and sharp-edged.

Season and practical notes

In winter the roads can be snowy and the paths slippery; to see both districts on the same day, choose the long days of summer and autumn. Public transport between the districts is limited, so a car is the most comfortable option for the whole trip.

At lunch in Oltu, taste the food of the area; the provincial directorate's guide writes that cağ kebab, cooked on a horizontal skewer over a wood fire, is called horizontal döner in several districts, Oltu among them. When leaving Narman you can also look for Narman sugar beans, which appear on the provincial directorate's list of geographical indications. Get current information on workshop opening hours and visiting conditions from the district institutions.

Sources

Location - From the Red Earth of Narman to Oltu Stone

Trip Info
CityOltu, Erzurum
TypeCultural
DateOctober 19, 2026
SourceRadar Editör
Radar TürkiyeAuthorRadar TürkiyeVisit SourceGet Directions