Hacılar hosted the first peak events of Turkish mountaineering.

The events commemorating the climb of Mount Erciyes, which is considered the beginning of Turkish mountaineering and took place 100 years ago, were hosted by the Hacılar municipality. Hacılar Mayor Bilal Özdoğan, who participated in the activities along with the President of the Turkish Mountaineering Federation, Prof. Dr. Ersan Başar and his team, stated, ‘Mount Erciyes has become a favorite destination for climbers in our district.’
The 100th anniversary of the first summit climb of Mount Erciyes, made by the War of Independence Hero Colonel Cemil Cahit Toydemir and his 8 soldiers, was celebrated in the Hacılar district with the event ‘100 Years on the Peaks: The Story of the First Climb – Mount Erciyes Climb’ organized by the Turkish Mountaineering Federation.
Before the climb, a wreath-laying and opening ceremony was held at Hacılar Republic Square. The ceremony was attended by Hacılar Mayor Bilal Özdoğan, Turkish Mountaineering Federation President Prof. Dr. Ersan Başar, District Youth and Sports Director Fatih Yılmaz, and professional climbers from all over Turkey.
In his speech at the ceremony, Mayor Özdoğan expressed his happiness in hosting climbers from all over Turkey in their district, stating, ‘Mount Erciyes has become a favorite destination for climbers in our district. It makes us very happy that our district is recognized as a stronghold of mountaineering by the federation and that we have a club that we support for the development of mountaineering in our district. I would like to thank our federation president for honoring our district with such a meaningful summit walk.’
Additionally, Mayor Özdoğan expressed his enthusiasm for mountaineering, saying, ‘I am one of those who have experienced the summit by climbing the route you will take. I am aware that mountaineering requires culture and discipline. As Hacılar Municipality, we will continue to stand by sports and athletes at all times.’
The President of the Turkish Mountaineering Federation, Prof. Dr. Ersan Başar, in his speech, stated, ‘Today, the Hacılar district is hosting an important ceremony where we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Turkish mountaineering. We will commemorate our heroes who climbed Mount Erciyes with incomplete equipment and faced much greater difficulties under the conditions of that day. We will all see the progress of Turkish mountaineering together.’
After the ceremony, the climbers who would summit received training at the Hacılar Martyr Police Ahmet Cihan Kilci Cultural Center before the summit. On August 28, 2024, at 10:00 AM, a team of 70 people from all over Turkey successfully reached the summit of Mount Erciyes.
This meaningful event shed light on the history of Turkish mountaineering once again while also emphasizing the importance of the Hacılar district in mountaineering and outdoor sports.