All the hallmarks of a modern-day guru are there: an unprecedented welcome on the shores of the Black Sea, a flurry of goals — more than one a game — in front of his new supporters, and now an otherwise unremarkable stretch of highland around Trabzon that looks destined to become a must-visit for countless travellers. Why? Mohamed Salah was here. He sat on a rock, smiled and posed for a photo, which within no time at all had made its way around the web and, in the process, rewritten the map of Turkey. Literally, because that very spot is already known as Salahtaşı: Salah’s rock.
📸 Mohamed Salah explored one of the most striking highland landscapes around Trabzon, hiking through the lush plateau of Kurtdere Yaylası. 🇹🇷 https://t.co/BM5VRnEIJm
— Salah Updates (@SalahUpdates) September 14, 2026
The curious story spread across Turkey after the former Liverpool forward spent a day hiking between matches, because even at 34 Momo still has a way of setting the pace around him. Trabzonspor supporters had taken to worshipping him from the moment he arrived at the airport over the summer, and every goal has given them another reason to do so, while every movement, even something as ordinary as a day out in the countryside, becomes something worth following. Tourists soon tracked down the exact location from Salah’s photograph, turning one anonymous corner among many into a genuine hiking destination, complete with a tribute to the goalscorer.
Social media did the rest and, before long, the traditional media had picked up the story too, from Turkish broadcasters to Al Jazeera, relaying the “news” and the story behind the rock blessed by the number 10. It is a surreal little episode, but one that says plenty about the hold Salah still has. Local traders have noticed it too, with some even writing to Momo in the hope of persuading him to drop into their shops: if a simple rock can become a tourist attraction because Salah sat on it, who knows what his presence might do for a bar?
It is worth striking while the iron is hot, especially since Salah went hiking just days after Trabzonspor’s historic 4-0 victory over Galatasaray, inspired by the Egyptian’s hat-trick. So if he was already a legend when he stepped off the plane from Liverpool, within a matter of weeks Momo had become, in every sense, the guru of Trabzon. For more involuntary endorsements, just follow the road he takes, even when it leads beyond the trail, or beyond the usual football pitch.