The eastern border city has been known for its popular long Eastern Express railway trips from the capital Ankara to Kars.

Turkey's eastern border city of Kars reminds many book enthusiasts of Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk's book Snow and its first paragraph, which reads: "The silence of snow, thought the man sitting just behind the bus driver. If this were the beginning of a poem, he would have called the thing he felt inside him the silence of snow." 

Pamuk's poetic description is befitting to the landscape of Kars, a vast expanse of land ringed by low lying hills. 

Come November, the temperatures in Kars fall to below 0 degrees Celsius, and this year a heavy yet early snowfall has carpeted the city, as if a white blanket has been wrapped around it. 

Here are some pictures from Kars that are soothing to the eyes. 

For Kars's sheep, goats and shepherds, snow is a much more difficult experience than skiers accommodating in the city’s mountain winter resorts.
For Kars's sheep, goats and shepherds, snow is a much more difficult experience than skiers accommodating in the city’s mountain winter resorts. (HUSEYIN DEMIRCI / AA)
Donkeys and cows try to adapt to the upcoming winter in Kars.
Donkeys and cows try to adapt to the upcoming winter in Kars. (HUSEYIN DEMIRCI / AA)
Kars’s winter tourism attracts a large number of domestic and international tourists. One of the city’s mountain skiing facilities waits for its visitors.
Kars’s winter tourism attracts a large number of domestic and international tourists. One of the city’s mountain skiing facilities waits for its visitors. (HUSEYIN DEMIRCI / AA)
While the first snow surprises many in Kars, people are still needed to work.
While the first snow surprises many in Kars, people are still needed to work. (AA)
In order to keep roads safe for traveling, Kars’s local government employees work hard.
In order to keep roads safe for traveling, Kars’s local government employees work hard. (HUSEYIN DEMIRCI / AA)
Kars’s iconic Fethiye Mosque was also covered with snow.
Kars’s iconic Fethiye Mosque was also covered with snow. (Cuneyt Celik / AA)
Turkey’s famous Eastern Express moves across Kars’s snowy territory as it did in the good old days.
Turkey’s famous Eastern Express moves across Kars’s snowy territory as it did in the good old days. (HUSEYIN DEMIRCI / AA)
Source: TRT World