Geography

The forest is at the south of Tarsus

Tarsus, Mersin

Tarsus is a historic city in south-central Turkey, 20 km inland from the Mediterranean Sea. It is part of the Adana-Mersin Metropolitan Area, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Turkey with a population of 2.75 million...

 city in Mersin Province

Mersin Province

The Mersin Province is a province in southern Turkey, on the Mediterranean coast between Antalya and Adana. The provincial capital is the city of Mersin and the other major town is Tarsus, birthplace of St Paul...

. The center of the forest is at about 36°53′N 34°52′E. The distance to Tarsus is 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) and to Mersin

Mersin

-Mersin today:Today, Mersin is a large city spreading out along the coast, with Turkey's second tallest skyscraper , huge hotels, an opera house, expensive real estate near the sea or up in the hills, and many other modern urban...

 is 25 kilometres (15.5 mi). There are two sections in the forest. In the older section called Güresin forest Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...

 (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) has been planted
and in the newer section called Turhan Emeksiz, stone pine

Stone Pine

The Stone Pine , is also called Italian Stone Pine, or Umbrella Pine , and Parasol Pine. It is in the pine family Pinaceae and occasionally listed under the invalid name Pinus sativa. The tree is native to the Mediterranean region...

 (Pinus pinea) and maritime pine

Maritime Pine

Pinus pinaster, the Maritime Pine, is a pine native to the western and southwestern Mediterranean region. The pejorative name 'pinaster' is derived from pinus + aster, translating as 'a poor imitation of a pine' Pinus pinaster, the Maritime Pine, is a pine native to the western and southwestern...

 (Pinus pinaster) have been planted along with a few other species (Güresin was the surname of the engineer in charge of the project back in 1939 and Turhan Emeksiz was the name of a forestry engineering student killed in 1960.)

History

During the ancient ages, Tarsus was a Mediterranean Sea

Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...

 port. But because of alluvial deposits from the Berdan River

Berdan River

The Berdan River, also called the Tarsus River , is a river in Mersin Province, south Turkey. The historical city of Tarsus is by the river.- Geography :...

 the coastline was continuously moving to south. By the 6th century, the coastline had already been moved away and a small lagoon named Rhegma had been formed which obstructed the river flow in the rainy seasons and caused floods. Byzantine Emperor Justinian I

Justinian I

Justinian I ; , ; 483– 13 or 14 November 565), commonly known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the Empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the classical Roman Empire.One of the most important figures of...

 (reigned 527-565) had a channel constructed at the east of the city to facilitate easier flow. (present watercourse of the river). After 7th century the lake was partially dried up and turned into marshes. But because of the marshes, the number of malaria

Malaria

Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...

 cases increased sharply. In 1939, the Turkish government (ministry of forestry) started a project to drain the marshes. Eucalyptus trees were planted on 885 hectare area and the marshes were totally drained.
In 1960s the forest was further enlarged by covering the coastal band. Pine was preferred in the coastal band.

Karabucak today

The marsh has been drained and the sands movement at the coast has been checked. The forest in addition to being a source of revenue, is now a popular picnic area for Tarsus citizens.