Every winter, warm springs in the Güroymak district of Bitlis, an eastern Turkish province, give an opportunity for photographers and farmers to indulge in the beauty of the scenery and for animals to relax in the hot waters amid freezing temperatures.
Buffalo and horses that stay in their sheds during freezing cold weather bathe in the hot spring waters. Hot springs that reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) are preferred by those who seek healing in the summer and those who want to bathe their buffalo and horses during the wintertime.
In Güroymak, where the temperature drops to minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit), buffalo and horses cannot be taken out of their sheds for fresh air, so farmers regularly take them to hot springs for relaxation.
Shepherds also enjoy the waters with their animals during three-hour-long baths. After being cleaned, the animals are brought back to their village, 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) away.
Baran Aylu, one of the shepherds, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that they bring the animals to hot springs on weekends to wash them. "As we look after our animals in the sheds during winter, they get dirty, so we bathe them in the hot spring to clean them," Aylu said. "We also enjoy the hot spring with them and have fun bathing them in the cold weather." Halit Akın, one of the residents of the village, said that through baths in the hot springs "animals (become) healthier and better."
