Yeşilöz: Hotels and the Faraşin Yayla

When looking for a hotel in Yeşilöz, it helps to first decide when you plan to travel and what interests you most. The Faraşin Yayla offers specific points of interest: a high plateau and waterways, plant diversity, and archaeological traces. The season and how you will get there are also part of the planning.

High plateau and waterways

The Faraşin Yayla is a high plateau located at an elevation of about 2,500 meters. On the plateau, dozens of small streams—including Derece, Çalyan, Yaşçimen, Rubil, and Bincan—join to form the Faraşin Suyu, also known as Yeşilöz. The watercourse is fed by melting snow. The Faraşin Suyu meanders across the plateau for an extended stretch before entering deep, narrow valleys and joining the Habur River to the south at an elevation of about 1,200 meters. Broad green meadows and glacial lakes fed by melting snow also characterize the plateau. The Faraşin Yayla is also rich in vegetation and plant diversity.

Seasons and activities

The tourist season for the Faraşin Yayla is spring. The plateau is suitable for hiking, as well as ecotourism and flora tourism. According to a description from July 2024, snow may remain until July; in winter, snow can reach a depth of up to ten meters. Livestock herders use the yayla from spring through the summer months.

The Faraşin Yayla is also known as Huzur Yayla. Visitors interested in nature camp and picnic there; they fish in the Yeşilöz Stream. The variety of waterways, meadows, and plants gives you different themes to focus on during your stay: you can prioritize hiking, nature, or the seasonal landscape.

Traces of Dirhe and local use

Along the route of the Faraşin Suyu, numerous Dirhe structures are located on valley slopes and along the banks of tributary streams. The high concentration of Dirhe remains on the Faraşin Yayla suggests that the plain has been an important settlement center for the region since the Early Iron Age. This adds an archaeological perspective to the landscape of waterways and plants.

The use of the plateau is also part of its character: beekeepers and small livestock farmers use the Faraşin Yayla. Residents of Yeşilöz go there daily to graze animals and bring their children with them. Livestock farming continues from spring through the summer months.

Getting oriented and traveling there

The Faraşin Yayla lies northeast of the center of the Beytüşşebap district. The journey from the district center is reported to take about one hour and 30 minutes; the duration depends on the route. The yayla can be reached via an unpaved, stabilized road. Check the current road conditions before setting out.

A journey to the Faraşin Yayla reported in July 2024 began at a location in the village with a minibus, followed by a walk.

Discover more destinations: İdil, Silopi, Cizre, Bağlıca Köyü, Şırnak

Go to the main travel overview: Şırnak.