A simple rock that Mohamed Salah once sat on during a trip to Trabzon has become a magnet for tourists and fans, a fresh sign of the popularity the Egyptian star enjoys in Turkey. Visitors have started flocking to the spot to take photos and copy the pose the Egypt captain struck.
It all began when Salah posted photos from his visit to the "Kürtdere" plateau in Trabzon province in north-eastern Turkey. In them, he sat atop one of the rocks in the area.
The photos did not go unnoticed. They spread quickly across social media, and before long fans and tourists were visiting the spot in search of the rock the player had sat on.
Locals named it "Salahtaşı", meaning "Salah's rock" in Turkish. Within a short time it went from an ordinary rock in the middle of the plateau to a landmark tied to the Egyptian star.
Turkish media covered some of the amusing local reactions, according to the "Al Jazeera" website. One journalist asked the owner of a nearby facility whether the area might be renamed "Salah's plateau", and she replied, laughing, that these were her own "Subaşı" facilities.
Elsewhere, the owner of a shop near the rock sent a spontaneous message to Salah, inviting him to visit and saying he wished the player would come to meet him and have a cup of tea.
As the visitors kept coming, Turkish platforms began posting clips explaining the route up to the heights Salah had visited. Reports say a directional sign has gone up to help anyone wanting to reach the site and take their photos at "Salah's rock".
The craze comes not long after Salah's brilliant display in the Trabzonspor shirt. He led the team to a big 4-0 win over Galatasaray, scoring three goals and providing another to become the talk of the Turkish media and fans.