Kemaliye Silk Road Trail and Running Festival
Kemaliye will turn running into a full adventure festival on July 10–12, 2026, as the Kemaliye Silk Road Trail and Running Festival brings together nature, sport, culture, and one of Türkiye’s most unforgettable landscapes. Set in historic Kemaliye, also known as Eğin, the event will offer more than a race weekend. It will be a journey through stone roads, canyon views, local culture, traditional flavors, and the deep rhythm of the Fırat River.
The running program will feature 10K and 21K routes on the legendary Eğin Stone Road. The 21K Stone Road Half Marathon will take runners through a dramatic route carved into the rock, with 31 tunnels, more than 60 ventilation windows, and breathtaking views over the Fırat River. Some tunnels are long and dark enough to require a headlamp even during the day. The surface will be rough, rocky, and technical in places, with broken ground, stones, and possible water crossings. Phone signal will disappear through much of the route, turning the experience into something rare: just the runner, the canyon, and the road.
The 10K will offer a shorter but still powerful taste of the same atmosphere. This out-and-back course will follow the edge of the cliffs beside the Fırat River, entering shorter Stone Road tunnels with a lighter enclosed feeling than the 21K route. It will still carry the spirit of the event: carved rock, cool tunnel air, river views, and a route that feels far removed from ordinary road running.
But Kemaliye will not stop at the finish line. The festival program will include the historic Silk Road walk, mountain bike races, wingsuit jumps, canoeing, rafting, rock climbing, and sunset events in Karanlık Canyon. Visitors will also meet the cultural side of the town through local art exhibitions, children’s workshops, folk performances, "Green Eğin with Folk Songs" musical performance programs, organic products, and handmade regional goods. With its historic houses, stone streets, Cittaslow identity, UNESCO Tentative List recognition, and Best Tourism Villages distinction, Kemaliye will make the weekend feel like a rare meeting point of adrenaline and heritage.
Even if you are not running, you will still want to be here—because Kemaliye turns one weekend into a story you can walk, taste, hear, and feel: dark canyon sunsets, Stone Road tunnels, Fırat views, local songs, mountain air, and a town that feels carved out of memory.