Taurus Mountains

Coordinates: 37°N 33°E / 37°N 33°E / 37; 33
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Taurus Mountains
Mt. Demirkazık (3,756 m)
Elevation3,756 m (12,323 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Naming
Native nameToros Dağları (Turkish)
Geography
CountryTurkey
Range coordinates37°N 33°E / 37°N 33°E / 37; 33

The Taurus Mountains (Turkish: Toros Dağları or Toroslar, Greek: Ταύρος) are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, separating the Mediterranean coastal region from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğirdir in the west to the upper reaches of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in the east. It is a part of the Alpide belt in Eurasia.

Etymology

The mountain range under the current name was mentioned in The Histories by Polybius as Ταῦρος (Taûros). Heinrich Kiepert writes in Lehrbuch der alten Geographie that the name was borrowed into Ancient Greek from the Semitic (Old Aramaic) root טורא (ṭūrā), meaning "mountain".[1][2]

Geography

The Taurus mountains are divided into three chains from west to east as follows;

  • Western Taurus (Batı Toroslar)
  • Central Taurus (Orta Toroslar)
  • Southeastern Taurus (Güneydoğu Toroslar)

Western Taurus

Relief of the Taurus Mountains

The Western Taurus Mountains form an arc around the

Goksu River divide it from the Central Taurus Mountains. It has many peaks rising above 3,000–3,700 m (9,800–12,100 ft). Mt. Kizlarsivrisi, 3,086 m (10,125 ft), in the Bey Mountains is the highest peak in the Western Taurus.[3]

  • Termessos is an ancient city in the western Taurus
    Termessos is an ancient city in the western Taurus
  • Antalya with the sunset and mountains in the west
    Antalya with the sunset and mountains in the west
  • Alanya, and the surrounding mountains
    Alanya, and the surrounding mountains

Central Taurus

The Central Taurus Mountains are roughly defined to include northern

Central Anatolia. The Tarsus-Ankara Highway (E90, O-21
) passes through it. Mountain ranges in the Central Taurus include:

Southeastern Taurus

The Southeastern Taurus mountains form the northern boundary of the

Tigris River
.

  • Malatya's Kale district and the Southeastern Taurus
    Malatya
    's Kale district and the Southeastern Taurus
  • Karakaya Dam.

Geology

The Taurus Mountains were formed by the collision of the

underground rivers, and some of the largest caves of Asia. The Manavgat River originates on the southern slopes of the Beydaglari range.[4]

Climate

The mountains have a Mediterranean climate, with dry summers and rainy winters. Temperatures vary with elevation, with warm winters on the lower coastal slopes and cold winters in the high mountains and in the interior.[5]

Flora and fauna

At lower elevations, the predominant vegetation forest and woodland of evergreen oaks and Turkish pine (Pinus brutia), and areas of maquis shrubland. Above 1200 meters elevation are montane forests of black pine (Pinus nigra), Lebanon cedar (Cedrus libani), Taurus fir (Abies cilicica), and juniper (Juniperus spp.). The high peaks are home to alpine meadows.[5]

History

Gulf of Issus and Antioch

Pre-history and early Roman period

The bull was commonly the symbol and depiction of

storm-gods
of the ancient Near East, were a people whom modern scholars place in the Taurus Mountains at their probable earliest origins.

A

Tarsus
.

The Amanus range in southern Turkey is where the Taurus Mountains are pushed up as three tectonic plates come together. The Amanus is a natural frontier: west is

Late Roman period to present

During World War I, the German and Turkish railway system through the Taurus Mountains proved to be a major strategic objective of the Allies. This region was specifically mentioned as a strategically controlled objective slated for surrender to the Allies in the Armistice, which ended hostilities against the Ottoman Empire.[11]

Attractions

In addition to hiking and mountain climbing,

Egirdir and Isparta, the second is Saklıkent 40 km (25 mi) from the city of Antalya
.

The Varda Viaduct, situated on the railway lines Konya-Adana at Hacıkırı village in Adana Province, is a 98-metre-high (322 ft) railway bridge constructed in the 1910s by Germans.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Toros". Index Anatolicus (in Turkish). Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  2. ^ İçel Sanat Külübü Aylık Bülteni, Ekim 1995 – 40. Sayı
  3. ^ a b c "Mountaineering in Turkey" All About Turkey
  4. ^ "Manavgat River Water as a Limited but Alternative Water Resource for Domestic Use in Middle East" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-02-27. Retrieved 2008-02-16.
  5. ^ a b "Southern Anatolian montane conifer and deciduous forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  6. p. 91
  7. ^ "Amanus Mountains". Livius - Places. Livius.org - Jona Lendering. 26 March 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  8. . In the Second Temple period, when Jewish authors were seeking to establish with greater precision the geographical definition of the Land, it became customary to construe "Mount Hor" of Num 34:7 as a reference to the Amanus range of the Taurus Mountains, which marked the northern limit of the Syrian plain (Bechard 2000, p. 205, note 98.)
  9. ^ Price, Ward (16 December 1918) "Danger in Taurus Tunnels" New York Times

External links