Two beautiful high-altitude valleys meet at charming little İlisu. Amazingly this diminutive village of photogenic old homes was once the capital of a short-lived 18th-century sultanate. Many houses retain box windows, arched doorways and red-tiled roofs, there's an antique mosque and several remnant fortifications. The square-plan, five-storey Summaqala Tower at the very southwestern end of the village commands a picture-perfect valley view towards distant snow-topped peaks.
At the northernmost end of Ilisu there are fine views from the Uludağ restaurant-resort. Turn right and hike 40 minutes uphill to find a locally famous waterfall (Şələlə). Walking up the main valley towards Russia isn't allowed (closed border zone).
