D.915.
Ride.
- Miles: 115
- Start: Of, Trabzon
- End: Aşkale, Erzurum
- Time: 4 to 6 hours
- Suitability: adventure, dual-sport, tourer
D.915 is a north-to-south state road in north-eastern Turkey. The 111 mile (185 km) long road starts at Of on the coast of the Black Sea branching from D.010 and ends in Aşkale, joining the D.100 running in a high-elevation mountainous terrain.
The most challenging section of the D915 is known as the Derebaşi Bends, climbing the side of Mount Soganli to a pass 2,330 metres above sea level.
The route winds through remote areas with sometimes empty roads, where towns and villages remain untouched by tourism.
Built in 1916 by Russian soldiers after the Trebizond Campaign, the road from Of to Bayburt winds through Mt. Soğanlı, reaching an elevation of 2,035 m (6,677 ft) above sea level. With 29 sharp hairpin turns and no guardrails, the route is treacherous. While the start and end sections are paved with asphalt, the middle is gravel, making it especially challenging in wet, dark conditions or under fog and snow. It’s regarded as one of the most dangerous roads in the world, even surpassing Bolivia’s Death Road in peril.
Named Derebaşı Turns, the most risky part of the route is situated in Çaykara with 13 hairpin turns. At a length of only 3.2 miles (5.1km), it has an elevation difference from 1,712 to 2,035 m (5,617 to 6,677 ft).
