ABOUT TAURUS MOUNTAINS
| TAURUS MOUNTAINS QUICK FACT BOX |
| Elevation |
12,323 feet, 3,756 meters |
| Location |
Turkey, Central Anatolia |
| Range |
Anatolia, Taurus Range |
| Coordinates |
37.8167000 latitude 35.1667000 longtitude |
| Convenient Center(s) |
Nigde |
| Nearest Major Airport |
Kayseri Airport |
Taurus Mountains are a mountain range in Turkey, from which the Euphrates and Tigris descend into Syria and Iraq. The Manavgat River originates on its southern slopes.
The system extends along a curve from Lake Egirdir in the west to the upper reaches of the Euphrates and Tigris in the east. It has many peaks rising above 10,000-12,000ft (3,000-3,700m), with the highest point being the Demirkazik summit in the region known as Aladaglar, at 3,756 meters (12,322 ft.) high. Another notable peak is Medetsiz (3,524 m. / 11,561 ft.) in the Bolkar Daglari section.
It divides the Mediterranean region of southern Turkey from the central Anatolian plateau. The pass known in antiquity as the Cilician Gates crosses the range north of Tarsus, which was the birth place of Apostle Paul.
Limestone has eroded to form karstic landscapes of waterfalls, underground rivers, and the largest caves of Asia.
The Taurus Mountains are the western most branch of the great mountain chain that stretches across all of Asia - the Himalayan mountain belt. The Turkish section of this massive mountain range follows the southern border of Anatolia and it is made up of four major sections, the Western, Central, Southern and Southeastern Toros ranges. The highest peaks rises out of the Central and Southeastern branches, a stretch of mountains which are rugged, magnificent and arduous to climb.
Forming part of the Central Taurus range, the Aladaglar range runs from the southwest to the northeast for approximately 50 kilometers. It is between 25 and 30 kilometers wide and boasts the region's highest peak, Demirkazik which stretches to 3756 meters. Other high summits include Kizilkaya in the center (3725 m), a peak that reaches 3688 meters in the south and Mount Vayvay in the East (3565m). The long range is situated in the provinces of Nigde and Adana and rises between Lake Ecemis and the Zamanti river.
The geological formation of the area is responsible for the interesting rock formations and waterfalls. The erosion of limestone has created a fascinating karstic topography and hydrography, especially in the Yedigoller valley, where karstic underground rivers and caverns collect the surface water. Both the Mediterranean and Anatolian weather systems influence the climate of the Aladaglar bringing warm summers and cool winters to the mountains.
Exposed to the gentle Mediterranean breezes, the snow-covered peaks of the Taurus Mountain Range intermingle with the foothills spread out like a colorful nomadic carpet of flowers dotted with fruit orchards, pine, fir, cedar and juniper trees.
The wildlife in these mountains presents the same diversity as that of the rich plant cover. Taurus Mountains are home for birds such as pigeons, blackbirds, francolins, partridges, quail, turtledoves, woodcock as well as for eagles, sturnidaes, falcons, chaffinches and orioles. Animals that can be observed here in their natural habitat are deer, fallow deer, bezoar goat, boar, lynx, roe deer, fox, wolf, jackals, martens, rabbits and hyena.
The Taurus highlands are found within the provinces of Gaziantep, Hatay (Antioch), Adana, Içel, Antalya and Mugla.
In this beautiful natural site, seven different springs on the mountainside fall from heights ranging between 30 and 70 meters. An important one to see is Kapuzbasi waterfalls.
The best season to climb the mountains is during June, July and August when the alpine meadows of higher elevations are rich in vegetation.
ANATOLIAN ADVENTURES TREKS TO TAURUS
You can find detailed information about our tours and treks to Taurus from http://www.anatolianadventures.com/eng/tours/trek/taurustrek.html
http://www.anatolianadventures.com/eng/tours/trek/taurusararat.html
http://www.anatolianadventures.com/eng/tours/trek/taurusski.html
