Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah has sparked a tourist rush to a mountain rock in Trabzon after posting a photo of his walk in north-east Turkey online.
The former Liverpool star shared images on social media on September 14 while discovering his new surroundings in the high plateaux, locally known as yaylas, near Trabzon. Within days of the upload, supporters launched a search to locate the exact spot in the wild countryside where the footballer had posed.
Subsequent videos posted online revealed an impressive turnout on the mountain plateau, with dozens of cars lining up along narrow access roads. Supporters waited in an endless queue to sit on the same rock, strike the same pose, and capture identical photographs, while some fans even filmed themselves kissing the stone.
Footage documenting the crowd scene was circulated on September 21 by social media outlets including Onze Masr and Salah Updates. The shared clips showed fans lining up across the highland meadow to emulate the Egyptian international.
Salah joined Turkish club Trabzonspor this summer following his departure from Premier League side Liverpool at the end of last season. The forward has quickly made an impression on the pitch, underlined by a hat-trick scored on Saturday against rival club Galatasaray.
Highland rush in northern Turkey
The rock is situated in the wild, bucolic landscape of the Trabzon highlands in north-eastern Turkey. High mountain plateaux, known as yaylas in Turkish, are traditional upland pasture regions where livestock graze during the warmer months, featuring scenic alpine landscapes and cool mountain air.
Trabzon, a historic city located on the Black Sea coast, is backed by steep mountain ranges that house these isolated pastoral communities. The sudden influx of football supporters transformed the quiet rural area into a busy attraction within days of Salah's social media post.
Trabzonspor is one of Turkey's most historic football institutions, founded in 1967 and operating as a major force in the Süper Lig outside the traditional Istanbul powers. Football fandom in the region is renowned for its deep local devotion, and high-profile international signings frequently attract immense public enthusiasm.
Celebrity impact and Turkish football frenzy
The overwhelming fan response illustrates the rapid surge of popularity Salah has enjoyed since arriving in Turkey. While human visitors crowded the highland spot to take photos and kiss the rock, the sheep that inhabit the mountain pastures throughout the year experienced an unexpected disruption to their quiet environment.
Salah arrived in Turkey following an exceptionally successful seven-year period at Liverpool, during which he established himself among the world's elite attackers. At Liverpool, he won the Premier League, the UEFA Champions League, the FA Cup, and the League Cup, while becoming the top African goalscorer in Premier League history and earning multiple Golden Boot awards.
His on-field success at Trabzonspor has further fueled supporter excitement, particularly after his three-goal performance against Galatasaray on Saturday. Galatasaray, based in Istanbul, is Turkey's most decorated club, making a hat-trick against them a major accomplishment in Turkish football.
As social media videos of fans gathering at the rock continue to gain traction online, the quiet mountain outcrop in Trabzon has turned into an enduring symbol of the Egyptian star's massive cultural impact in his new home.
