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Zigana Pass

Coordinates: 40°38′56.4″N 39°23′34.08″E / 40.649000°N 39.3928000°E / 40.649000; 39.3928000
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Zigana Pass
Zigana Geçidi
Zigana Pass
Elevation2,032 m (6,667 ft)
Traversed byRoute D.885 E97
LocationGümüşhane Province, Turkey
RangePontic Mountains
Coordinates40°38′56.4″N 39°23′34.08″E / 40.649000°N 39.3928000°E / 40.649000; 39.3928000
Zigana Pass is located in Turkey
Zigana Pass
Zigana Pass

The Zigana Pass (Turkish: Zigana Geçidi) is a mountain pass situated on the Pontic Mountains in Gümüşhane Province close to its border with Trabzon Province in northeastern Turkey. The pass, at 2,032 m (6,667 ft) above sea level, is on the route D.885 E97 at a distance of 60 km (37 mi) from Gümüşhane and 120 km (75 mi) from Trabzon at the Black Sea coast. The pass is snow-covered five months a year.[1]

The Zigana Tunnel under the pass, at an elevation of 1,795 m (5,889 ft) above sea level, is 1,702 m (5,584 ft) long, 11 m (36 ft) wide and has a maximum height of 8 m (26 ft). It is one of longest tunnels in the country.[2]

The namesake village of Zigana, located 3.5 km (2.2 mi) southwest of the tunnel, is a popular ski-resort.[1]

Nearby Lake Limni is reachable on foot by a 3 km (2 mi) trail or by car on a 19 km (12 mi) road (partly unpaved) via Kalkanlı village.[3]

On 25 January 2009, 11 hikers on Mount Zigana died in an avalanche.[4]

Zingana pass is the pass through which the Ten Thousand of Xenophon passed through on their way out of Persia ("Ξενοφων «καθοδος των μυριων") and shouted Thalatta! Thalatta! ( the sea! the sea!) when they saw the coast of Trabzon (Τραπεζουντα) at the Black Sea.

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Lilies at Zigana Pass

References

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  1. ^ a b "En güzel 10 kar manzarası-En iyi 10:1. Zigana Geçidi-Gümüşhane". Hürriyet (in Turkish). January 13, 2006. Retrieved February 22, 2009.
  2. ^ Özdemir, Ulaş (April 1, 1999). "Zigana Tüneli tehlike saçıyor". Milliyet (in Turkish). Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2009.
  3. ^ "Torul-Zigana" (in Turkish). Sis Dağı. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
  4. ^ "Avalanche kills 10 at Turkish ski resort". CNN. January 25, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-25.