Turkey's glaciers hit by climate change as pictures show mountain ice melting fast

Previously snow-capped peaks lay bare after a rise in global temperatures

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  As global temperatures rise, sections of the Cilo Glaciers in Turkey's southeastern Hakkari province, are melting fast. All photos: AFP

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  Turkey is experiencing heatwaves and drought, including a record temperature of 50.5C in Silopi, about 200 kilometres from Hakkari, on Friday

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  A UN report on desertification worldwide estimates that 88 percent of Turkey's territory is at risk

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  According to research, almost 50 per cent of continuous snow and ice cover has been lost in the area

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  Hikers look at the Cilo Glaciers of Turkey's southeastern Hakkari province, on July 13, 2025. As global temperatures rise amid human-caused climate change, new sections of the mountains that were once capped in ice are melting fast year after year. A UN report on desertification worldwide estimates that 88 percent of Turkey's territory is at risk: rainfall is expected to decrease by 30 percent by the end of the century, while temperatures are expected to rise by 5 to 6C compared to the averages recorded between 1961 and 1990. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)

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  Pieces of glacier can now be seen in the water

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  The water is flowing quickly due to the glacial melt

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  By the end of the century, temperatures in Turkey are expected to rise by 5 to 6C, compared with averages recorded between 1961 and 1990

Visitors and locals who once marvelled at beautiful ice-capped mountains now increasingly see only rock and grass as melting snow gradually runs into rivers below.

Turkey's Cilo Glaciers, in the southeastern Hakkari province on the Iraqi border, are melting fast in a trend that is increasing year after year.

The change is being caused by a rise in global temperatures, a result of human-caused climate change.

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A UN report on desertification worldwide estimates that 88 per cent of Turkey's territory is at risk. Rainfall is expected to decrease by 30 per cent by the end of the century, while temperatures are expected to rise by 5 to 6°C, compared with averages recorded between 1961 and 1990.

“There were glaciers 10 years ago,” said Kemal Ozdemir, a mountain guide for 15 years in Turkey's Kurdish majority south-east. He was referring to Mount Cilo, the country's second-tallest at 4,135 metres.

“You can see that there are quite a few pieces of glacier in the water right now. The reason why the waterfalls flow lushly actually shows us how fast the ice is melting.”

Turkey is experiencing heatwaves and drought, including a record temperature of 50.5°C in Silopi, about 200 kilometres from Hakkari, on Friday.

“The melting process is faster than we expected,” said Onur Satir, a professor at Yuzuncu Yil University and specialist in geographical information systems in the eastern province of Van.

“According to our research, in the past 40 years, we lost almost 50 per cent of this continuous snow and ice cover in this place.

“Some places melt faster than other places, so actually it's showing us which places must be protected but we have no opportunity to cover the whole ice area.”

According to the UN, glaciers in several regions of the world will not survive the 21st century, threatening the water supply of hundreds of millions of people.