Guide
The tomb is said to take its name from a Turkmen holy man who had an uncanny way with ants and all but spoke with them.
The story goes that the people of a village overrun by ants went to Karınca Baba and asked him to rid them of the swarm. He came to the village, prayed, and the village was freed. After that he was known as Karınca Baba, the father of ants.
He spent his life, so the account runs, in the company of ants, and after his death he was buried, as he had wished, on top of a high rock. In time the place became the tomb known as Karıncalı Dede.
Visitors are known to tie scraps of cloth to the trees around it so that their wishes may be granted, and to leave rice for the ants to eat.
The ground around the tomb is wooded, and those who come to visit Karınca Baba often picnic here. The road is asphalt and the tomb can be visited in any season.
