Tektek Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Tektek Mountains are a range of mountains
located east of Şanlıurfa
(Urfa, formerly Edessa
) in southeastern Turkey
near the border with Syria
.
The Tektek Mountains are known for the proliferation of large stone markers and cairn
s at summit of every height. There are also at least two ancient sites located there: Karahan Tepe and Sumatar Harabesi.
plain, between the headwaters of the Tigris
and Euphrates
rivers. Reaching an altitude of 801 metres (2,628 ft), this spur extends southward from the Tur Abdin
mountain range about 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) away. The Şebeke Mountains to the west form a chain together with the Tektek and Susuz Mountains. The Viranşehir plain, which covers an area of 1200 square kilometres (463.3 sq mi), lies between the Tektek and Karacadağ Mountains.
The mountain range is composed of Eocene
and Miocene
limestone
, its valleys formed in the humid climatic conditions characteristic of the interglacial and post-glacial periods. There is no basalt
present. The Tektek Mountains are devoid of woodland, with the exception of an area at the northwest end of the range where pistachio
(pistacia khinjuk) trees grow.
, some 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) from the same.
Sumatar Harabesi is an oasis
that served as an ancient watering hole for semi-nomadic peoples, as well as a sacred site with baetyls and altars dedicated to the worship of the deity, Sin.
Karahan Tepe is a site that was discovered in 1997 and was dated to c. 9500–9000 BC by Bahattin Çelik, a Turkish archaeologist. Covering an area of 325000 square metres (3,498,270.9 sq ft), it consists of a number of stone T-pillars and high reliefs depicting, among other images, a winding snake and the battered torso of a naked man. There are also polished rock statues of goats, gazelles and rabbits.
made by a company founded by the Güllü brothers in 1871, is made from milk taken from sheep and goats in the Tektek Mountains. The butter is on average five times more expensive than the margarine used by other baklava producers, costing some 15 USD per kilo.
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...
located east of Şanlıurfa
Sanliurfa
Şanlıurfa, , often simply known as Urfa in daily language , in ancient times Edessa, is a city with 482,323 inhabitants Şanlıurfa, , often simply known as Urfa in daily language (Syriac ܐܘܪܗܝ Urhoy,Armenian Ուռհա Owr'ha, Arabic الرها ar-Ruhā), in ancient times Edessa, is a city with 482,323...
(Urfa, formerly Edessa
Edessa, Mesopotamia
Edessa is the Greek name of an Aramaic town in northern Mesopotamia, as refounded by Seleucus I Nicator. For the modern history of the city, see Şanlıurfa.-Names:...
) in southeastern 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...
near the border with Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
.
The Tektek Mountains are known for the proliferation of large stone markers and cairn
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
s at summit of every height. There are also at least two ancient sites located there: Karahan Tepe and Sumatar Harabesi.
Physical geography
The Tektek Mountains are located on the northern border of the Urfa-HarranHarran
Harran was a major ancient city in Upper Mesopotamia whose site is near the modern village of Altınbaşak, Turkey, 24 miles southeast of Şanlıurfa...
plain, between the headwaters of the Tigris
Tigris
The Tigris River is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq.-Geography:...
and Euphrates
Euphrates
The Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
rivers. Reaching an altitude of 801 metres (2,628 ft), this spur extends southward from the Tur Abdin
Tur Abdin
Tur Abdin is a hilly region of south east Turkey incorporating the eastern half of Mardin Province, and Şırnak Province west of the Tigris, on the border with Syria. The name 'Tur Abdin' is from the Syriac language meaning 'mountain of the servants '. Tur Abdin is of great importance to Syriac...
mountain range about 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) away. The Şebeke Mountains to the west form a chain together with the Tektek and Susuz Mountains. The Viranşehir plain, which covers an area of 1200 square kilometres (463.3 sq mi), lies between the Tektek and Karacadağ Mountains.
The mountain range is composed of Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
and Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
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....
, its valleys formed in the humid climatic conditions characteristic of the interglacial and post-glacial periods. There is no basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
present. The Tektek Mountains are devoid of woodland, with the exception of an area at the northwest end of the range where pistachio
Pistachio
The pistachio, Pistacia vera in the Anacardiaceae family, is a small tree originally from Persia , which now can also be found in regions of Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Sicily and possibly Afghanistan , as well as in the United States,...
(pistacia khinjuk) trees grow.
Inhabitants
Villages in the Tektek Mountains are inhabited by semi-nomadic pastoralists and agriculturalists of uncertain origin whose housing is constructed low to the ground, and sometimes within it, using the mud upon which they are situated. Crops can be grown in the spring, but the summer heat drives away most of inhabitants, many of whom graze their livestock elsewhere at that time of the year. Nomadic families from the Karacadağ Mountain come to the Tektek Mountains for the autumn and winter seasons to graze their animals and hunt wild game. Near a hill known as Keçili Tepe, there is a small village of the same name.Ancient sites
The two ancient sites located in the Tektek Mountains are Karahan Tepe, some 63 kilometres (39.1 mi) east of Urfa, and Sumatar HarabesiSumatar Harabesi
Sumatar Harabesi was an ancient watering place for semi-nomadic peoples located in the Tektek Mountains, southeast of Urfa and northeast of Harran, in modern day Turkey...
, some 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) from the same.
Sumatar Harabesi is an oasis
Oasis
In geography, an oasis or cienega is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source...
that served as an ancient watering hole for semi-nomadic peoples, as well as a sacred site with baetyls and altars dedicated to the worship of the deity, Sin.
Karahan Tepe is a site that was discovered in 1997 and was dated to c. 9500–9000 BC by Bahattin Çelik, a Turkish archaeologist. Covering an area of 325000 square metres (3,498,270.9 sq ft), it consists of a number of stone T-pillars and high reliefs depicting, among other images, a winding snake and the battered torso of a naked man. There are also polished rock statues of goats, gazelles and rabbits.
Specialty products
The butter used in Baklavacı Güllüoğlu, baklavaBaklava
Baklava is a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey. It is characteristic of the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire and much of central and southwest Asia....
made by a company founded by the Güllü brothers in 1871, is made from milk taken from sheep and goats in the Tektek Mountains. The butter is on average five times more expensive than the margarine used by other baklava producers, costing some 15 USD per kilo.