Pinus nigra (European Black Pine) trees on the Taurus Mountains.

Direktaş Summit in the Yedi Göller (Seven Lakes) region of the Aladağlar range.

Demirkazık Summit in Niğde Province.

Taurus Mountains (Turkish: Toros Dağları) are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, dividing the Mediterranean coastal region of southern Turkey 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.

It has many peaks rising above 3,000–3,700 m, (10,000–12,000 ft). The Taurus complex is divided into four ranges:^[1]

• Beydaglari mountain range, western, highest peak Mt. Kizlarsivrisi 3,086 m (10,125 ft)
• Aladaglar mountain range, central, highest peak Mt. Demirkazik 3,756 m (12,323 ft)
• Bolkar mountain range, southeastern, highest peak Mt. Medetsiz 3,524 m (11,562 ft)
• Munzur mountain range, northeastern, highest peak Mt. Akbaba 3,462 m (11,358 ft)
  • Mercan mountain range, within the Munzur

The highest point in the central Tauruses is the summit of Mt. Demirkazık (3,756m).^[1]

Historical[link]

A Bronze Age archaeological site, where early evidence of tin mining was found, is at Kestel.^{[2][page needed]} The pass known in antiquity as the Cilician Gates crosses the range north of Tarsus. During World War I, a 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.^[3]

Geography[link]

In the Aladaglar and Bolkar mountains, limestone has eroded to form karstic landscapes of waterfalls, underground rivers, and some of the largest caves of Asia. The Manavgat River originates on the southern slopes of the Beydaglari range.^[4]

Attractions[link]

In addition to hiking and mountain climbing,^[1] there are two ski resorts on the mountain range, one at Davras about 25 km (16 mi) from the two nearest towns of 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 m (322 ft) high railway bridge constructed in the 1910s by Germans.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Taurus Mountains

• [1] map of Eurasia showing Taurus Mountain ranges

Coordinates: 37°00′N 33°00′E / 37°N 33°E / 37; 33

v t e Ancient Mesopotamia Geography Modern Euphrates Jezirah Mesopotamian Marshes Persian Gulf Syrian Desert Taurus Mountains Tigris Zagros Mountains Ancient Akkad Assyria Babylonia Chaldea Elam Hatti Media Mitanni Sumer Urartu Cities History Pre- and protohistory Acheulean Mousterian Zarzian Natufian PPNA PPNB Halaf Samarra Ubaid Uruk Jemdet Nasr History Early Dynastic Akkadian Ur III Old Babylonian Kassite Neo-Assyrian Neo-Babylonian Achaemenid Seleucid Parthian Roman Sassanid Muslim conquest Languages Akkadian Amorite Aramaic Eblaite Elamite Gutian Hittite Hurrian Iranian (Old Persian Parthian Middle Persian) Luwian Proto-Armenian Sumerian Urartian Culture and society Architecture Art Cuneiform Literature Akkadian Sumerian Music Religion Archaeology Iraq Museum Looting Tell Portal

v t e Mountains of Turkey Mountain ranges Ilgaz  • Pontic  • Taurus  • Yunt Mountains Acıgöl • Akdağ • Aktaş • Ağrı (Ararat) • Babadağ • Beşparmak (Latmus) • Davraz • Dilek (Mycale) • Erciyes • Erek  • Göllü • Hasan • Honaz • Kaçkar • Kadifekale • Karacadağ • Karadağ • Karagöl • Kaz (Ida) • Kula • Küçük Ağrı • Madur • Mahya • Nemrut • Nemrut (volcano) • Nif • Palandöken • Spil  • Sultan • Süphan • Şaphane • Tendürek • Topçambaba • Uludağ • Yamanlar • Zurbahan