Dean's message
OUR REASON FOR EXISTENCE DEAR STUDENTS,
WELCOME
TO OUR IĞDIR, the land of nature, history and culture,
TO OUR IĞDIR UNIVERSITY, which prioritizes science, knowledge production and use,
TO OUR FACULTY OF TOURISM, which has set the goal of training tourism professionals in the understanding of ecotourism...
HELLO
I would like to introduce our Faculty and Iğdır to you. However, I felt like going beyond the ordinary and doing something different. Are you ready to get to know and introduce our Faculty in nine articles and Iğdır in thirty-three? Because what I have done will be your primary duty from now on! Because we are now members of the great Iğdır University Family and honorary Iğdır residents. What do you say? Shall we start?
OUR FACULTY;
It was established with the decision numbered 2013/4716 taken at the meeting of the Council of Ministers on April 29, 2013, and published in the Official Gazette dated May 31, 2013 and numbered 28663,
It took approximately four years for the formation of the academic staff until Prof. Dr. Mehmet Hakkı Alma became the Rector of our University in 2017 and assumed the acting deanship,
The first faculty member appointed to the academic staff of our faculty was Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gülşen Bayat,
Prof. Dr. Rüstem GÜL was appointed as the acting dean of our faculty in 2018,
Prof. Dr. During the term of office of Rüstem GÜL, the Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department accepted students (46 students) in the Fall semester of the 2019-2020 Academic Year and started education,
The Dean's Office remained under the responsibility of our Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Hakkı Alma for a while in 2021,
Giresun University Tourism Faculty Founding Dean Prof. Dr. Musa Genç, upon the request of our University Rectorate in 2021, was appointed as the dean by YÖK and has been serving as the first appointed dean of our Faculty since November 15, 2021,
There were Gastronomy and Culinary Arts and Tourism Management Departments in its establishment, but he only had students in the Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department,
As of the end of the 2021-2022 Academic Year, 155 students were continuing their education,
Under his leadership, the Interdisciplinary Ecotourism Department was established in 2022 within the Graduate Education Institute of our University, Dean Prof. Dr. Musa Genç was appointed as the head of the Ecotourism Department and students were accepted to the Interdisciplinary Ecotourism Thesis Master's Program in the 2022-2023 Fall Semester.
IĞDIRIMIZIN;
It is the place where the sun first rises and sets in Turkey,
It is the only province of ours that has borders with Armenia, Azerbaijan - Nakhchivan and Iran, namely three independent states,
It is one of the places where people have lived since the Paleolithic Age (between 600,000 BC and 10,000 BC, the end of the ice age) to the present day,
There are two Mount Ararat, Greater Ararat and Lesser Ararat,
Among the 55 mountains considered sacred in the world, Greater Ararat is the third highest mountain in altitude after Mount Everest and Kilimanjaro,
The slopes of Greater Ararat, which are seen bare today, were forested in the Middle Ages,
There is a spring at an altitude of 2800-3000 m on the southern slope of the "Hell Valley" on the northern slopes of Greater Ararat, and it is called the "Fountain of Prophet Jacob", and that Prophet Jacob came here to perform ablution and pray It is believed,
Wild goats are often seen in the Hellenmderesi Valley, it is a rare ecotourism source for wildlife observers,
There are many caves in the foothills of Greater Ararat Mountain, in the place called “Cow Valley” by the local people, these caves, which can fit hundreds of animals, serve as natural shelters for animals brought to the plateau, and can be opened to cave tourism to be experienced with the understanding of ecotourism,
The continuous snow cover that does not melt in summer and winter starts at an altitude of 4000 m on Mount Ararat, the 1000 m section down from the top is always covered with snow,
The weather on Mount Ararat is generally clear before noon, the weather deteriorates towards 14:00 with the formation of clouds on the mountain, and it is usually foggy, snowy and windy above 4500 m in the afternoon,
The worst time for the weather in summer on Greater Ararat Mountain is at the end of July and the beginning of August, and climbing to the summit when the weather is bad is difficult due to hail and lightning strikes. very dangerous,
There are no plants that reach tree form (minimum height of 5 m) on the slopes of the mountain, except for dwarf birch and juniper trees, the middle belt of the mountain between 1500-3500 m is covered with wide pastures,
Desert conditions are present in the lower parts of the slopes of Mount Ararat facing the Eastern Iğdır Plain,
The first scientific ascent to the top of the mountain was made by Friedrich Parrot on October 9, 1829, He was followed by teams led by Russian Antonomof in 1834 and 1843, Western mountaineers such as Wagner and Abich in 1845 and Monteith and Stuart in 1856 also climbed Mount Ararat,
The first climb of Turkish mountaineers to Ağrı took place during the Republic Period, Major Cevdet Sunay reached the summit of Mount Ararat in 1937 with fifteen officers and fifty soldiers, and contrary to claims, this group did not come across the wreckage of Noah's Ark,
Mount Ararat has all the features sought by those engaged in mountaineering, and is also quite suitable for nature sports, winter tourism, mountain walks, mountain biking and paragliding,
It has no natural lake, and its largest water source is the Aras River,
The Aras River is considered the fourth sacred river after the Nile, Tigris and Euphrates,
On the banks of the Aras River and the streams joining this river, there are willows (Salix sp.), wild oleaster (Hipophae rhamnoides) and a few plain elms on the plain (Ulmus campestris) species were encountered,
There is a bird observation station (Aras Bird Research and Education Center) in the remaining part of Yukarı Çıyrıklı village, northwest of Tuzluca district, on the banks of the Aras River, approximately 190 bird species (more than 40% of the bird species in Turkey) were recorded at this station and its surroundings, amateur bird watching can also be done at this station with the understanding of ecotourism,
The purple cock (Porphyrio porphyrio), which breeds only in three locations in Turkey, was recorded only at Aras Station in our Eastern Anatolia Region,
The rock salt cave in Tuzluca is the largest salt cave in the world in terms of cave interior height and width, it will soon be put into service as a Salt Therapy Center with the joint project of Iğdır University, Iğdır Governorship and Tuzluca District Governorship, it is a good source for health tourism,
Iğdır Ağrı Mountain Nature Sports and Winter Tourism Center Project, which will make Iğdır one of the few winter tourism centers in the world, The project was started in 2000 in Korhan Plateau, which is 36 km away from Iğdır city center, but could not be completed due to various reasons,
If the project could be completed, it would provide skiing opportunities for approximately 6000 people and employment opportunities for approximately 12000 people,
In the context of festival tourism, folklore teams from neighboring countries have also participated in the Apricot Festival, which has been organized every year since 2000, and thus it has gained an international identity,
It has two geographically indicated products, Iğdır apricot and Taş köfte, and the geographical indication registration process of Iğdır white grape Miska, Iğdır Bozbaş dish, Iğdır omaç aşı soup and Iğdır eggplant jam is ongoing, Şalak melon, Kızıl gül, Al alma and Süper tomato are agricultural products with registration potential in Iğdır with the project supported by Serhat Development Agency; as food, Zibilli pilaf, Katlet, Cılvır, Şorva, Katık aşk soup, Keleçoş, Süt hörresi, Perzana, Salmanca and Evelikli bulgur were determined,
There are enough accommodation facilities for the foreigners coming, in this context, there are a total of 6 hotels, five 2-star and one 4-star, certified by the Ministry of Tourism, and the total bed capacity of these facilities is more than 600,
Last year, Iğdır University Mountaineering Club advisor Dr. Emrah Eker and Res. Asst. Furkan Erbaş, Iğdır Youth and Sports Provincial Directorate coach and at the same time continuing his postgraduate education at Iğdır University Department of Physical Education and Sports Oğuz Aygan led the climb and managed to reach the summit of Ağır Mountain on September 19, 2021,
Iğdır, an important component of the Silk Road, has been constantly attacked and changed hands throughout history due to its strategic location, it hosted 19 different tribes and civilizations until it joined Turkey on November 14, 1920, it has been our land for 103 years,
The dominant civilizations have built Iğdır with castles (Korhan Castle, Karakale, Aktaş Village Castle and Gaziler Village Castle), tombs (in Çakırtaş village of Iğdır central district, Kolikent village of Aralık district and within the borders of Kazım Karabekir Agricultural Enterprise), caravanserais (the most important of which was built during the time of Sürmeli Emir Şerafeddin Ejder (Azdera) Iğdır Caravanserai) and historical cemeteries and gravestones (ram, sheep and other animal statues made on graves in the historical cemetery in Yaycı village, Küllük village, Yenidoğan village, Sürmeli village, Hakmehmet village and Karakoyunlu district center) they transformed it into a city rich in historical and cultural heritage,
There are many mounds, settlement ruins and rock chambers in Iğdır province; the most important ones are Tuzluca Kamışlı Village Settlements, Karakoyunlu Abbasındüzü Settlement, Iğdır Ülkü Tepe Mound, Yaycı Village Mound, Melekli Kültepe Mound, Gökçeli Village Mound, Gaziler Kültepe Mound, Erhacı Village Rock Chamber, Kızılkule Village Rock Chamber, Asma Village Rock Chamber,
Iğdır and its Castle (Korhan Castle) were destroyed by a very strong earthquake in the spring of 1664 while under Seljuk rule, more than fifty thousand people died in Azerbaijan, including the region
Even though the air you are breathing right now is not the air breathed by the many people of different origins who have dominated these lands from the Paleolithic Age to the present day, there are definitely traces of them in the places you step on. I ask you to always remember this historical fact and do tourism and have it done. Protecting the natural, historical and cultural heritage and delivering it to our future generations is your duty before any other professional, and this approach is exactly what ecotourism is.
You have the right to use the sea, sand and sun with its beaches; mushrooms, insects, plants, animals, caves, travertines, lakes, rivers, high mountains and plateaus with its forests, in short, all of nature as a touristic resource, and therefore you can benefit from it if it is legal. However, these riches were not inherited by you; they were entrusted to you so that you can deliver them to your future generations in the form that you benefited from the most. So if you cannot protect them, do not touch them! If they were able to reach you, they will reach the future generations as well. As long as the balance is not disrupted…
Those who protect or do not protect touristic resources are always those who are closely involved with them, and resources are protected to the extent that they provide material and spiritual gain. Therefore, when doing tourism or having it done, ensure that the majority of the income remains with the resource owner, that is, the local.
My final word: Do not compromise on the ecotourism concept when doing tourism or having it done.
With love…