The Zigana Pass is a mountain pass

Mountain pass

A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...

 situated on the Pontic Mountains

Pontic Mountains

The Pontic Mountains form a mountain range in Northern Turkey, also known as the Parhar mountains in the local Turkish and Pontic Greek languages. The term "Parhar" originates from the Hittite word meaning "high" or "summit"....

 in Gümüşhane Province

Gümüshane Province

Gümüşhane Province is a province in northern Turkey, bordering Bayburt to the east, Trabzon to the north, Giresun and Erzincan to the west. It covers an area of 6,575 km² and has a population of 129,618 in 2010. The population was 186,953 in 2000. The name Gümüşhane means silver house...

 close to its border with Trabzon Province

Trabzon Province

Trabzon Province is a province of Turkey on the Black Sea coast. Located in a strategically important region, Trabzon is one of the oldest trade port cities in Anatolia. Neighbouring provinces are Giresun to the west, Gümüşhane to the southwest, Bayburt to the southeast and Rize to the east. The...

 in northeastern Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

. The pass, at 2032 m (6,666.7 ft) above sea level, is on the route at a distance of 60 km (37.3 mi) from Gümüşhane

Gümüshane

-Features:Gümüşhane has a rich historical background so there are many historical places, mosques, churches, castles. Ancient city of Satala in the modern village of Sadak was the most important military camp of the ancient Roman Empire in the east. This place was ruled by the Hittites, Assyrians,...

 and 120 km (74.6 mi) from Trabzon

Trabzon

Trabzon is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. Trabzon, located on the historical Silk Road, became a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries and a trade gateway to Iran in the southeast and the Caucasus to the northeast...

 at the Black Sea

Black Sea

The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...

 coast. The pass is snow covered five months a year.

The Zigana Tunnel under the pass, at an elevation of 1795 m (5,889.1 ft) above sea level, is 1702 m (5,584 ft) long, 11 m (36.1 ft) wide and has a maximum height of 8 m (26.2 ft). It is one of longest tunnels in the country.

The namesake village of Zigana, located 3.5 km (2.2 mi) southwest of the tunnel, is a popular ski-resort.

Nearby Lake Limni is reachable on foot by a 3 m (9.8 ft) trail or by car on a 11 m (36.1 ft) paved road via Kalkanlı village.

On 25 January 2009, an avalanche

2009 Zigana avalanche

The 2009 Zigana avalanche was an avalanche that occurred on the 25th of January 2009 at around 11:15 local time on Mount Zigana, Gümüşhane Province in north-eastern Turkey. It struck a group of 17 hikers at a height of near the site of a small ski resort. The snow mass dragged the trekkers about ...

killed 11 hikers on Mount Zigana.