A simple photo of Mohamed Salah surrounded by nature in Turkey has turned into an unusual story, after the place where the Egyptian star sat became a popular spot for visitors before the so-called “Salah Plateau” became part of a dispute between Trabzon and Gumushane.

The story began when Salah visited one of Turkey’s highland areas and sat beside a rock in the Kurt Dere area. His photo quickly spread across social media.

As interest in the picture increased, fans and tourists began visiting the same location to take photos beside the rock where Salah had appeared.

The area gradually became well known among the Egyptian star’s supporters.

Salah Sign Disappears

Following the growing attention, Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality placed a bench near the rock and installed a sign carrying the name “Salah Plateau,” helping turn the location into a new attraction for visitors.

However, the story soon took another turn when both the sign and the bench suddenly disappeared overnight, creating widespread debate and questions on Turkish social media.

Early local reports suggested that the sign had been stolen. Residents from a nearby village later placed another sign at the location as visitors continued to arrive because of its connection with Mohamed Salah.

The issue did not end with the missing sign and bench.

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It soon developed into a wider discussion over the administrative borders of the area and which local authority had the right to place signs and facilities there.

Dispute Over Plateau

Some residents of Gumushane objected to Trabzon Municipality placing a bench and sign in the area, arguing that the location is actually inside Gumushane’s administrative borders.

On the other side, people in Trabzon said the plateau has been used for years as a shared summer grazing area and argued that the disagreement over its borders is not new.

Some also called for the issue not to be turned into a larger conflict between the two cities.

As a result, a single photo of Mohamed Salah in the Turkish countryside indirectly reopened an old discussion about who controls the plateau.

The Egyptian star’s name has now become part of a story that goes far beyond football. His photo helped bring more attention and visitors to the area before the location became linked with a dispute between two cities.

The story also shows how much influence football stars can have away from the pitch. One photo was enough to turn a quiet rock and plateau into a place that fans wanted to visit and photograph.

Between the disappearance of the original sign, the installation of a replacement, and the debate over the plateau’s borders, Mohamed Salah continues to attract attention in Turkey — this time not because of his goals or performances, but because of a story that started with a photograph and developed into a dispute between two cities.