Mount Hasan

Hasan Dağı rises to about three thousand two hundred and fifty metres from the plain south of Aksaray, a stratovolcano with two summits - the big and little peaks - and a collapsed caldera between them. Along with Erciyes it produced the ash falls that laid down the tuff of Cappadocia, which is why the mountain matters beyond its height. A wall painting from Çatalhöyük, dating to around seven thousand BCE, has been interpreted by some archaeologists as a depiction of the volcano erupting behind the town, which would make it among the earliest landscape images known - the interpretation is debated and other readings exist. Climbing is a long day: from Helvadere a track leads to around two thousand metres and the route continues on scree and rock to the summit, taking five to seven hours up, with snow lingering into summer and weather that changes fast. The view runs across the whole Konya plain.

What you actually see

• The twin cones - the big and little summits and the caldera.
• The scree slopes - the upper route above the treeline.
• The plain view - Aksaray, Konya and the Tuz Gölü from the top.
• The Cappadocian connection - the source of the region's tuff.

When to go

June to September for the summit; snow lies late and the upper mountain is serious in other seasons. Start before dawn - afternoon cloud and storms build quickly.

Honest expectations

This is a full mountain day on loose scree with no marked route above the treeline - a local guide is strongly advised. Weather changes fast at altitude. There are no facilities beyond the trailhead villages.

Nearby

Ihlara valley and Güzelyurt are east; Aksaray and the Tuz Gölü are north.