Ardahan, Muş and Van, among the Turkish cities where winter is harsh and long, experience chilly weather even in summer at high altitudes, leading residents to use stoves for warmth.
While many parts of Türkiye are experiencing scorching heat, the temperature drops at night in the Göle district of Ardahan, which is at an altitude of 2,008 meters (6,588 feet), and in Çullu village, which is at 2,300 meters.
Recently, with the impact of heavy rain, the temperature in Göle was recorded as 6.2 degrees Celsius (42 degrees Fahrenheit), making it the coolest place in Türkiye, while in Çullu village, it was measured at 7.2 degrees Celsius.
In Göle, people who want to drink tea outdoors in the evening prefer places where stoves are lit.
Mehmet Kanbur, an 86-year-old resident of Çullu village, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the cold weather has continued into summer this year, forcing them to light stoves.
Kanbur, who said they feel cold even in the middle of summer, remarked: "We both light stoves and wear thick clothing because the evenings are really cool. The recent rain has made the cold even more intense."
Medet Çağır also stated that those in the western provinces who are affected by the heat cannot believe that stoves are still being used here.
"We are still wearing jackets because the weather is very cold, and smoke is coming out of the chimneys. Even if we want to drink tea in the sunny weather, we can't do it without jackets."
In Muş, nomads living in high-altitude plateaus, where the temperature is low, try to keep warm by lighting stoves on chilly days.
Nomads spending four months on Kurtik Mountain’s plateau, which is at an altitude of 2,500 meters, gather around the stoves set up in the tents in the evenings.
Fatma Yıldırım, one of the nomads, said they are still lighting stoves in July. Explaining that they have to wear thick clothes during the day because it is cold, Yıldırım noted: "We're working under tough conditions – hot days and cold nights at high altitudes. We keep stoves burning day and night and will continue until we leave the plateau."
Ahmet Aslan also stated: "We will burn a carload of wood on this mountain. It is very hot in the west, but cold here. When we say it's this cold here, people are surprised and don't believe it."
In Bezirhane, a rural neighborhood in the Çaldıran district of Van, the lowest temperature in July was recorded as 6.1 degrees Celsius, according to meteorological data.
Residents of this neighborhood at an altitude of 2,055 meters wear thick clothing such as fleece, coats and jackets in the evenings to avoid the cold.
Muhtar Mehmet Çakan said they live in one of the coldest regions in Türkiye.
Noting that living in the neighborhood during winter is very challenging, with temperatures dropping to as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius, Çakan continued: "We experience winter for about six months. Due to the cold weather, we have experienced significant migration. Our population, which was around 320 in 2000, has now dropped below 200. I want to appeal to the authorities to bring a natural gas line to our neighborhood. We struggle to find fuel."
"Even now, some houses are lighting stoves; some people are keeping warm by wrapping themselves in blankets. It's like plateau weather. We experience six months of snow, three months of frost and two months of summer."
Mehmet Şirin Çakan also said that despite being in the summer season, they feel cold: "We are wearing jackets and sweaters in this season. Both summer and winter are cold here. In the evenings, we light stoves to heat our homes."
