Hair-raising Turkish mountain road becomes world famous

By Abdulkadir Nisanci

BAYBURT, Turkey (AA) - A mountainous Turkish road featuring a white-knuckle ride of 29 hairpin bends, extreme weather and drops of up to 3,500 meters (11,000 feet) is being called one of the world’s most dangerous routes.

Derebasi Turns in Turkey’s northeastern Trabzon province has been highlighted by the website DangersRoads.org.

The road, D915, was built by forced labor in 1914 when residents were pressganged into service by invading Russian soldiers.

Linking Trabzon province’s town Of in Turkey’s Black Sea region to the northeastern Bayburt province, the mountainous route does not have guardrails, leaving open some hair-raising drops.

The 106km road climbs up several mountain passes and its turns are often covered with fog, rain, landslides and snow -- Derebasi Turns are closed for six months of the year because of snowfall.

Apart from adventurers who visit the region from around the world to experience the deadly road, it is often used by the residents with any kind of vehicle.

DangerousRoads.org said: “Words and pictures are not enough to tell how dangerous this road is.”