Botan Valley National Park

The Botan River is a tributary of the Tigris River. It also refers to a historical region encompassing the Şırnak area, including Şırnak, Siirt, eastern Mardin, and Batman. It takes its name from the ancient Botan Principality. Xenophon, a student of Socrates, mentions the river extensively in his work *Anabasis* (The Return of the Ten Thousand), written around 400 BC. A large part of it lies within the borders of Siirt. The national park, declared on August 15, 2019, by Presidential Decree No. 1421 published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Turkey No. 30859, has significant geographical and historical importance. Located in the central, Tillo, and Eruh districts, the Botan Valley covers 120,000 acres and a 29-kilometer route, and is suitable for sports such as paragliding and rafting.