Virgin Mary Church at the top of the Southeast is being opened to tourism

Under the coordination of Batman Governorship, studies are carried out to develop nature and faith tourism in the city.

In this context, the Virgin Mary Church at the summit of Mount Mereto was restored with the financing of the Special Provincial Administration.

Sason District Governor Furkan Başar told the AA correspondent that Mount Mereto is almost the roof of the region with its height of 2 thousand 978 meters.

Stating that the restoration work of the Virgin Mary Church, located at the summit of Mount Mereto, has been completed, Başar said that the construction of a mosque has started right next to the church, in line with the instructions of Governor Ekrem Canalp.

Stating that an environment of peace and trust has been created in the country with the terrorism-free Türkiye process, and that this has also contributed to the development of tourism, Başar said:

"With the terrorism-free Turkey process, an environment of peace and trust has been created all over our country. As one of the fruits of this, we are slowly starting to reap the fruits of tourism even at the highest peak of the Southeast. We invite all our citizens to the top of Mount Mereto in our Sason district to see this beautiful view and these beauties."

Stating that intense work is being carried out to extend tourism to 365 days in Batman, Başar stated that along with tourism, Mount Mereto is expected to be a frequent destination for citizens who want to cool off in the region during the summer months.

Başar said:

"At the same time, in terms of winter tourism, our ski resort construction continues rapidly on Mount Mereto. We think that with the opening of the ski resort, our citizens will flock to Mereto Mountain and Sason. Work has also been completed on reaching the summit of Mereto Mountain. Approximately 19 kilometers of hot asphalt work has been carried out within the scope of the project. Steel barriers have been laid on 12 kilometers of this road for the safety of life and property of our citizens. The construction of station cafes on the road route has been completed and caravan and tent camping areas, trekking areas It is ready to welcome trails, nature and adventure lovers here."

"Sason will be one of the tourism centers"

Provincial Culture and Tourism Director Mehmet İhsan Aslanlı also stated that Mount Mereto is important for Armenian Christians.

Stating that, according to historical sources, the Church of the Virgin Mary at the summit of Mount Mereto dates back to the 4th and 5th centuries AD, Aslanlı said that the church was restored twice in the very old years.

Aslanlı said:

"Finally, the restoration works initiated by our Governorship in 2024 have been completed. At the same time, concrete asphalt has been made on the road leading to the summit of Mount Mereto. It is open to the tourism world as of today. Although it has not been officially opened, we have found that groups from Armenia frequently visit the church. In addition, when plateau tourism and the ski center are also activated, Sason will be one of the tourism centers."