Zigana Pass

(Local Name: Geçidi) The 2,030m/6,662ft Zigana Pass, 63km/39mi northwest of Gümüshane, is one of the most spectacular in the Pontus Mountains. Once a crucial north-south "gateway" carrying a considerable traffic, the old route over the pass was very narrow, steep and winding; nowadays there is a new road with a reduced gradient. The old road is still there however, providing breathtaking views of the encircling mountains. The top of the pass marks the boundary between the provinces of Trabzon and Gümüshane. Further on (45 minute drive) the road crosses another ridge from where, it is said, Xenophon and the Ten Thousand at last caught sight of the sea, 50km/31mi away, joyfully shouting "thalatta!" (the sea!). A