Guide
Sultan Marshes lies north of Mount Erciyes, seventy kilometres from Kayseri, and it is one of the most important wetlands in Türkiye for a specific reason: it holds a rich biological diversity within the central Anatolian steppe ecosystem, and the two main migration routes used by birds moving between Africa and Europe cross here. Around 300 bird species and close to 400 plant species have been recorded. Cranes, flamingos and white-headed ducks are among the birds that use it — some living here, some resting on passage, some raising their young.
The marsh is largely reed bed, with stands of rush, sedge and other marsh plants, and in clear weather water lilies and irises open on the lake, among numerous floating islands of reed. This freshwater complex is separated to the south and north by Yay Gölü, a salt lake. You can go out among the reeds by boat, which is the way to photograph the birds. The marsh also supports the local economy: the villagers around it harvest reed in autumn and make mats and other handicrafts from it. Take the Yahyalı buses to Ova Çiftliği village; the marsh is two kilometres further on.
