Babadag (mountain)
Encyclopedia
Babadağ is a mountain
near Fethiye
, in Muğla Province
, southwest Turkey
.
The mountain has a principal summit at an elevation of 1969 metres (6,460 ft) and a second one called "Karatepe" at an elevation of 1400 metres (4,593 ft). These two summits face each other and are separated by a flood valley, which led to the term "mountain range
" to be used in some sources in association with Babadağ. The mass is composed mainly of limestone
. It is noted for its rich flora
, including the endemic Acer undulatum
, and forests of Cedrus libani
.
It is also notable for the proximity of its summit to the sea (less than 5km) which is one of the factors that make it particularly suitable and popular for paragliding
.
, although ancient names are sometimes difficult to match with the features observed today.
Strabo
(p. 665), whose description proceeds from west to east, after the promontory Telmissus, mentions "Anticragus", on which is Carmylessus, and then Cragus, which has eight "summits" (or he may have meant "capes"), and a city of the same name; Cragus (Lycia)
. Another city, Pinara
, in the interior, was at the base of Cragus.
There are coins of the town Cragus of the Roman
imperial period, with the epigraph Λυκιων Κρ. or Κρα. or Κραγ. The range of Anticragus and Cragus is represented in the map in Spratt and Forbes as running south from the neighbourhood of Telmissus, and forming the western boundary of the lower basin of the river Xanthus
. The southern part is Cragus. The direction of the range shows that it must abut on the sea in bold headlands. In Francis Beaufort
's map of the coast of Karamania, the Anticragus is marked 6000 feet high. Beaufort's examination of this coast began at Yediburun, which means "the Seven Capes", a knot of high and rugged mountains that appear to have been the ancient Mount Cragus of Lycia. The ruins of Pinara are where Strabo describes them, on the east side of this range, about half way between Telmissus and the termination of the range on the south coast. There is a pass leading between the summits of Cragus and Anticragus. Between the two chief peaks is a plain 4000 feet above the sea; and above it rises the highest peak of Cragus, more than 2500 feet above this elevated plain. The first half of the ascent from the plain is through a thick forest, and the remainder over bare rock. From the summit there is a view of the whole plain of Xanthus, and of the gorges of the Massicytus, which lies east of it. The side towards the sea is so steep, that from this lofty summit the waves are seen breaking white against the base of this precipitous mountain mass. It appears that Strabo is right when he describes a valley or depression as separating Anticragus and Cragus; and the highest part, which towers above the sea at the Seven Capes, seems to be the eight summits that Strabo speaks of. There was a promontory Cragus, according to Scylax and Pliny the Elder
(v. 27), which must be the Seven Capes. The Hiera Acra of the Stadiasmus seems also to be the Seven Capes. The position of the Cragus between Xanthus and Telmissus is mentioned by Pomponius Mela
(i. 15), and he also probably means the same striking part of the range.
The rocks and forests of Cragus were embellished by poetic fictions as the occasional residence of Diana
. Here, according to the authority quoted by Stephanus of Byzantium
(s. v. ), were the so-called .
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
near Fethiye
Fethiye
Fethiye is a city and district of Muğla Province in the Aegean region of Turkey with about 68,000 inhabitants .-History:...
, in Muğla Province
Mugla Province
Muğla Province is a province of Turkey, at the country's south-western corner, on the Aegean Sea. Its seat is Muğla, about inland, while some of Turkey's largest holiday resorts, such as Bodrum, Ölüdeniz, Marmaris and Fethiye, are on the coast in Muğla....
, southwest Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
The mountain has a principal summit at an elevation of 1969 metres (6,460 ft) and a second one called "Karatepe" at an elevation of 1400 metres (4,593 ft). These two summits face each other and are separated by a flood valley, which led to the term "mountain range
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
" to be used in some sources in association with Babadağ. The mass is composed mainly of limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
. It is noted for its rich flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
, including the endemic Acer undulatum
Acer undulatum
Acer undulatum is a species of maple, endemic to Babadağ near Fethiye in Muğla Province, southwest Turkey, where it grows at altitudes of between 1,400 and 1,800 meters.-References:*Güner, A. 1998. . Downloaded on 20 August 2007....
, and forests of Cedrus libani
Lebanon Cedar
Cedrus libani is a species of cedar native to the mountains of the Mediterranean region.There are two distinct types that are considered to be different subspecies or varieties. Lebanon cedar or Cedar of Lebanon Cedrus libani is a species of cedar native to the mountains of the Mediterranean...
.
It is also notable for the proximity of its summit to the sea (less than 5km) which is one of the factors that make it particularly suitable and popular for paragliding
Paragliding
Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure...
.
Babadağ, Mount Cragus and Anticragus
In ancient times, Mount Cragus (also spelled Mount Cragos or Mount Kragus) was a principal mountain of LyciaLycia
Lycia Lycian: Trm̃mis; ) was a region in Anatolia in what are now the provinces of Antalya and Muğla on the southern coast of Turkey. It was a federation of ancient cities in the region and later a province of the Roman Empire...
, although ancient names are sometimes difficult to match with the features observed today.
Strabo
Strabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
(p. 665), whose description proceeds from west to east, after the promontory Telmissus, mentions "Anticragus", on which is Carmylessus, and then Cragus, which has eight "summits" (or he may have meant "capes"), and a city of the same name; Cragus (Lycia)
Cragus (Lycia)
Cragus or Cragos or Kragos was an ancient city of Lycia, Asia Minor near or on Mount Cragus; its location is in modern-day Turkey . Strabo , describes Cragus as a city amidst Mount Cragus...
. Another city, Pinara
Pinara
Pinara was a large ancient city of Lycia at the foot of Mount Cragus , and not far from the western bank of the River Xanthos, homonymous with the ancient city of Xanthos .The name Pinara has somewhat been...
, in the interior, was at the base of Cragus.
There are coins of the town Cragus of the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
imperial period, with the epigraph Λυκιων Κρ. or Κρα. or Κραγ. The range of Anticragus and Cragus is represented in the map in Spratt and Forbes as running south from the neighbourhood of Telmissus, and forming the western boundary of the lower basin of the river Xanthus
Xanthos
Xanthos was the name of a city in ancient Lycia, the site of present day Kınık, Antalya Province, Turkey, and of the river on which the city is situated...
. The southern part is Cragus. The direction of the range shows that it must abut on the sea in bold headlands. In Francis Beaufort
Francis Beaufort
Rear-Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort, FRS, FRGS was an Irish hydrographer and officer in Britain's Royal Navy...
's map of the coast of Karamania, the Anticragus is marked 6000 feet high. Beaufort's examination of this coast began at Yediburun, which means "the Seven Capes", a knot of high and rugged mountains that appear to have been the ancient Mount Cragus of Lycia. The ruins of Pinara are where Strabo describes them, on the east side of this range, about half way between Telmissus and the termination of the range on the south coast. There is a pass leading between the summits of Cragus and Anticragus. Between the two chief peaks is a plain 4000 feet above the sea; and above it rises the highest peak of Cragus, more than 2500 feet above this elevated plain. The first half of the ascent from the plain is through a thick forest, and the remainder over bare rock. From the summit there is a view of the whole plain of Xanthus, and of the gorges of the Massicytus, which lies east of it. The side towards the sea is so steep, that from this lofty summit the waves are seen breaking white against the base of this precipitous mountain mass. It appears that Strabo is right when he describes a valley or depression as separating Anticragus and Cragus; and the highest part, which towers above the sea at the Seven Capes, seems to be the eight summits that Strabo speaks of. There was a promontory Cragus, according to Scylax and Pliny the Elder
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
(v. 27), which must be the Seven Capes. The Hiera Acra of the Stadiasmus seems also to be the Seven Capes. The position of the Cragus between Xanthus and Telmissus is mentioned by Pomponius Mela
Pomponius Mela
Pomponius Mela, who wrote around AD 43, was the earliest Roman geographer. He was born in Tingentera and died c. AD 45.His short work occupies less than one hundred pages of ordinary print. It is laconic in style and deficient in method, but of pure Latinity, and occasionally relieved by pleasing...
(i. 15), and he also probably means the same striking part of the range.
The rocks and forests of Cragus were embellished by poetic fictions as the occasional residence of Diana
Diana (mythology)
In Roman mythology, Diana was the goddess of the hunt and moon and birthing, being associated with wild animals and woodland, and having the power to talk to and control animals. She was equated with the Greek goddess Artemis, though she had an independent origin in Italy...
. Here, according to the authority quoted by Stephanus of Byzantium
Stephanus of Byzantium
Stephen of Byzantium, also known as Stephanus Byzantinus , was the author of an important geographical dictionary entitled Ethnica...
(s. v. ), were the so-called .
See also
- Cragus (Lycia)Cragus (Lycia)Cragus or Cragos or Kragos was an ancient city of Lycia, Asia Minor near or on Mount Cragus; its location is in modern-day Turkey . Strabo , describes Cragus as a city amidst Mount Cragus...
- Telmissus
- PinaraPinaraPinara was a large ancient city of Lycia at the foot of Mount Cragus , and not far from the western bank of the River Xanthos, homonymous with the ancient city of Xanthos .The name Pinara has somewhat been...
- Patara (Lycia)
- List of Ultras of West Asia
Other sources
- Hiking Babadağ: Index