A group of Turkish and American volunteers set off on bicycles from the Ani Ruins, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northeastern Türkiye, to raise funds for education.
The seven-person volunteer cycling team gathered in Kars under the leadership of the Bridge to Türkiye Fund Foundation, in collaboration with the Aziz and Gwen Sancar Foundation and the Cyclists Association, beginning their journey on Sept. 7.
Covering dozens of kilometers each day, the group traveled through Iğdır to Doğubayazıt in Ağrı, then to the provincial center. After cycling 90 kilometers (56 miles) from Ağrı, they reached Patnos, continuing their challenging journey under the motto, “We are cycling 950 kilometers from Kars to Tatvan to support education in Türkiye.”
Through this project, the volunteers aim to use the donations raised to build a science laboratory for students at Terzi Primary and Secondary School in Şanlıurfa.
Murat Suyabatmaz, president of the Cyclists Association, said the organization has been running events for 11 years, and this is the fourth stage of the latest initiative. He recalled that they previously completed tours in the Black Sea (2014), Aegean (2017) and Mediterranean (2021) regions, and now they are cycling through eastern Anatolia.
“Our goal on this journey is to raise donations in the U.S. to support education. The Bridge to Türkiye Fund Foundation and the Aziz and Gwen Sancar Foundation make this possible, and we, as the Cyclists Association, are supporting them. We started from the Ani Ruins and will cycle about 1,000 kilometers to Tatvan. Our primary goal is supporting education; the secondary goal is to showcase Türkiye’s historical and tourist sites.”
After Patnos, the group will travel to Erciş in Van, then to Van city center, and finally follow the shores of Lake Van to conclude the event in Tatvan, Bitlis.
Professor Ahmet Kaya, who came from Izmir, said the donations collected will be used to build a science lab at a school in Haliliye, Şanlıurfa. He added that people they meet along the way have welcomed them warmly, and encouraged others to get out of cars and ride bicycles.
Bülent Ender, president of the Bridge to Türkiye Fund Foundation, stated that they cycled approximately 950 kilometers in 11 days and are delighted to make students happy through the donations raised.
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