Hymettus
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Hymettus, also Hymettos ' onMouseout='HidePop("83869")' href="/topics/English_language">English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

, , transliterated Ymīttós, pronounced imiˈtos) is a mountain range in the Athens area, East Central Greece. It is also colloquially known as Trellos or Trellovouno (crazy mountain), a name of uncertain origin. In antiquity there was a sanctuary to Zeus Ombrios (Zeus the Rain God) on the summit with numerous offerings dating especially to the 8th-7th centuries BC; they are on the site of a military base and not currently accessibe. There is also an ancient quarryman's hut on the western slopes of the mountain, one of two buildings in ancient Attika which preserves its roof.

The height is 1,026 m at Evzonas and the length is 16 km (9.9 mi) between Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

 and the Saronic Gulf
Saronic Gulf
The Saronic Gulf or Gulf of Aegina in Greece forms part of the Aegean Sea and defines the eastern side of the isthmus of Corinth. It is the eastern terminus of the Corinth Canal, which cuts across the isthmus.-Geography:The gulf includes the islands of; Aegina, Salamis, and Poros along with...

 and 6 to 7 km from east to west. In the ancient times, the highest point was known as Mega Ymittos and the southern Elattona (Ελάττονα) and Anydro Ymitto (Άνυδρο Υμηττό) (today Mavrovouni (Μαυροβούνι meaning black mountain) and Kontra (Κόντρα)). It was noted for its thyme honey. Marble has been quarried since antiquity. The neighboring communities that surround the mountain are Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

, Zografou
Zografou
Zografou is a suburb in the eastern part of Athens, Greece. It is located about 5 km from downtown Athens, 2 km SW of Katechaki Avenue, 4 km from the Hymettus Ring forming part of the Attiki Odos private superhighway network, and 3 km E of Kifissias Avenue...

, Kaisariani
Kaisariani
Kaisariani , also Kessariani, is a suburb in the eastern part of Athens, Greece. Kaisariani is located about 7 km from downtown Athens, about 4 km SW of Katechaki Avenue 4 km from the Hymettus Ring , which forms part of the Attiki Odos private superhighway network, and 6 km S...

, Vyronas
Vyronas
Vyronas is a suburb in the northeastern part of Athens, Greece. The city is named after George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, the famous English poet and writer, who is a national hero of Greece...

, Ilissia
Ilissia
- Notable people :*Nikko Patrelakis, musician...

 (a region of Zografou), Ymittos
Ymittos
Ymittos , is a suburb of Athens, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Dafni-Ymittos, of which it is a municipal unit....

, Helioupolis, Argyroupoli, Elliniko, Glyfada
Glyfada
Glyfada is a suburb of Athens, situated in the southern parts of the Athens Metropolitan Area. The area, which is home to many of Greece's millionaires, ministers and celebrities, stretches out from the foot of the Hymettus mountain and reaches out to embrace the Saronic Gulf. It is the largest of...

, Voula
Voula
Voula is a town and former municipality in East Attica, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit.Voula is a southern suburb of Athens...

 and Vouliagmeni
Vouliagmeni
Vouliagmeni is a seaside town and former municipality 20 km south of Athens, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni, of which it is a municipal unit. Its population was 6,442 at the 2001 census. Vouliagmeni is among the most...

 in the west, Varkiza
Varkiza
Varkiza , also Alianthos is a partly urbanised area forming part of the municipality of Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni in southern Attica, located east of the Megalo Daktylo...

, Vári
Vari
Vari is a suburban town and former municipality in East Attica, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni, of which it is a municipal unit.-Geography:...

, Markopoulo
Markopoulo
Markopoulo may refer to places in Greece:*Markopoulo Mesogaias, a suburban town of Athens*Markopoulo, Elis, a small village in the northern part of the prefecture of Elis*Markopoulo, Kefalonia, a village in the southeastern part of the island of Kefalonia...

 and Paeania to its east, and Papagou
Papagou
Papagou is a suburb in the northeastern part of Athens, Greece. The city is named after Marshal Alexandros Papagos, a Greek Army General who served in the Second World War...

, Holargos, Aghia Paraskevi, Gerakas
Gerakas
Gerakas is a town and a former municipality in East Attica, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pallini, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit....

 and Glyka Nera
Glyka Nera
Glyka Nera , is a suburb in the northeastern part of Athens, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Paiania, of which it is a municipal unit....

. Most of the forest is in the north, and much of the mountain is rocky, deforested, grassy and made out 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....

.

Major campuses of the University of Athens and the National Technical University of Athens
National Technical University of Athens
The National Technical University of Athens , sometimes simply known as Athens Polytechnic, is among the oldest and most prestigious higher education institutions of Greece....

 (collectively called "University Town") are located on the west-facing slope, between the "Hymettus Ring", a ring road connected with the Attiki Odos
Attiki Odos
Attiki Odos is a privately owned toll motorway in Greece. The Proastiakos high-speed suburban rail is set almost entirely in the median of the motorway, along its main section. The motorway's numbers are 6 for the main section, 64 for the Hymettus Beltway and 65 for the Aigaleo Beltway...

 freeway with five interchanges beginning with Y and filled with tunnels, and the Athens urban sprawl. A transmitter park for all major TV and radio stations is located at the top of the mountain. Built up urban areas almost surround the entire mountain range. Access to the top of the mountain is restricted to authorized vehicles for maintenance of the towers.

Almost all of Athens, its eastern suburbs and the new airport can be seen from the mountain top along with the mountains of Parnitha
Parnitha
Mount Parnitha is a densely forested mountain range north of Athens, the highest on the peninsula of Attica, with an elevation of 1,413 m and a summit known as Karavola...

 to its northwest, Penteli
Penteli
Pentéli or Pendeli, , and Vrilissos or Vrilittos , Mendeli in medieval times) is a tall mountain and mountain range situated northeast of Athens and southwest of Marathon. Its elevation is 1,109 m...

 to its north and Aegaleo to its west. The valley areas that create the lowest passes are to the south and one further south.

The mountain ranges features about six to seven landfills in the western part and another in the eastern part.

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