[1][2] The hill lies 4 km to the southeast of the town centre of Artvin at an altitude of 1700 m. The area is very hilly and covered with forests.
To around 600 m northwest of the area lies the Hatila Valley National Park, a site that is rare in Turkey in terms of the biodiversity of its fauna and flora.
[3] According to reports by the General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration (Maden Tetkik Arama, MTA), the hill and the mine construction area has a heightened risk of landslides.
[2] Over the years, the area was subjected to exploration by the MTA and the Canadian mining companies Cominco and Inmet.
Milliyet wrote at the time that the forests in the area would not recover for 200 years and compared the project with that in Murgul, where the wastes of a copper mine turned the Çoruh River "grey for 20 kilometres".
[11] The protests continued with thousands of people marching every day, despite the violent crackdown by the police.
The march was violently ended by the police using tear gas, pressurised water and plastic bullets, resulting in 26 injuries, with one person being injured heavily.
[17][12] Sabah, known for its close association with the government, claimed that the protests were supported by the PKK,[18] a charge met with vitriol from the people of Artvin.
The MTA has written in a report that explosions required for constructing the mine will trigger landslides in the area.
According to a 1996 report by the Governorship of Artvin, landslides and erosion brought by deforestation will have a significant negative impact on the town.
[22] However, the enrichment facilities planned to be built in Murgul were cancelled after vigorous protests by the residents of the area.
[23] The court canceling the licence in 2008 drew attention and validated concerns by the people of Artvin that their city would become "uninhabitable" with the construction of the mine.