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Taurus Mountains (Turkish
Turkish language

Turkish is a language spoken by over 63 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Cyprus, with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania and other parts of Eastern Europe....
: Toros Daglari) are a mountain complex
Mountain range

A mountain range is a chain of mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by mountain pass or valleys. Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geology, though they often do; they may be a mix of different orogeny, for example volcanoes, uplifted mountains or Fold mountains...
 in southern Turkey
Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
, from which the Euphrates
Euphrates

The Euphrates is the western of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia which flows from Anatolia....
 and Tigris
Tigris

The Tigris is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, along with the Euphrates, which flows from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq....
 descend into Syria
Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is an Arab-majority country in Southwest Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the north....
 and Iraq
Iraq

Iraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros Mountains, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. It divides the Mediterranean coastal region
Mediterranean Region, Turkey

The Mediterranean Region is one of the seven geographical regions of Turkey. It borders the Aegean Region, Turkey to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Southeastern Anatolia Region, Turkey to the east, and the Central Anatolia Region, Turkey to the north....
 of southern Turkey from the central Anatolian Plateau
Anatolia

Anatolia or Asia Minor is a region of Western Asia, comprising most of the modern Republic of Turkey. It is a geographic region bounded by the Black Sea to the north, the Caucasus to the northeast, the Aegean Sea to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Iranian plateau to the east and southeast....
.

The system extends along a curve from Lake Egirdir
Lake Egirdir

Egirdir is the name of a lake and of the town situated on the shore of that lake in Turkey. The lake lies in the Turkish Lakes Region and is 186 kilometers north of Antalya....
 in the west to the upper reaches of the Euphrates and Tigris in the east.






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Demirkazik Crest of Aladag Mountains in Nigde Turkey
Taurus Mountains (Turkish
Turkish language

Turkish is a language spoken by over 63 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Cyprus, with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania and other parts of Eastern Europe....
: Toros Daglari) are a mountain complex
Mountain range

A mountain range is a chain of mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by mountain pass or valleys. Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geology, though they often do; they may be a mix of different orogeny, for example volcanoes, uplifted mountains or Fold mountains...
 in southern Turkey
Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
, from which the Euphrates
Euphrates

The Euphrates is the western of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia which flows from Anatolia....
 and Tigris
Tigris

The Tigris is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, along with the Euphrates, which flows from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq....
 descend into Syria
Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is an Arab-majority country in Southwest Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the north....
 and Iraq
Iraq

Iraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros Mountains, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. It divides the Mediterranean coastal region
Mediterranean Region, Turkey

The Mediterranean Region is one of the seven geographical regions of Turkey. It borders the Aegean Region, Turkey to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Southeastern Anatolia Region, Turkey to the east, and the Central Anatolia Region, Turkey to the north....
 of southern Turkey from the central Anatolian Plateau
Anatolia

Anatolia or Asia Minor is a region of Western Asia, comprising most of the modern Republic of Turkey. It is a geographic region bounded by the Black Sea to the north, the Caucasus to the northeast, the Aegean Sea to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Iranian plateau to the east and southeast....
.

The system extends along a curve from Lake Egirdir
Lake Egirdir

Egirdir is the name of a lake and of the town situated on the shore of that lake in Turkey. The lake lies in the Turkish Lakes Region and is 186 kilometers north of Antalya....
 in the west to the upper reaches of the Euphrates and Tigris in the east. It has many peaks rising above 3,000–3,700 m, (10,000–12,000 ft). The Taurus complex is divided into four ranges:
  • Beydaglari mountain range, western, highest peak Mt. Kizlarsivrisi
  • Aladaglar mountain range, central, highest peak Mt. Demirkazik
  • Bolkar mountain range, southeastern, highest peak Mt. Medetsiz
  • Munzur mountain range, northeastern, highest peak Mt. Akbaba
    • Mercan mountain range, within the Munzur
The highest point in the Tauruses is the summit of Mt. Demirkazik.

Historical

A Bronze Age
Bronze Age

The Bronze Age is, with respect to a given prehistory, the period in that society when the most advanced metalworking included smelting copper and tin from naturally-occurring outcroppings of copper and tin ores, creating a bronze alloy by melting those metals together, and casting them into bronze artifact s....
 archaeological site, where early evidence of tin
Tin

Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. Tin is obtained chiefly from the mineral cassiterite, where it occurs as an oxide, SnO2....
 mining
Mining

Mining is the extraction of value minerals or other geology materials from the earth, usually from an ore body, vein or seam. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, Sodium chloride and potash....
 was found, is at Kestel
Kestel

Kestel is a city and district of Bursa Province Provinces of Turkey in the Marmara Region, Turkey region of Turkey....
. The pass known in antiquity as the Cilician Gates
Cilician Gates

The Cilician Gates or G?lek Pass , form the main mountain pass through the Taurus Mountains of southern Turkey, connecting the low plains of Cilicia and the Mediterranean coast with the high central plateau of Anatolia....
  crosses the range north of Tarsus
Tarsus (city)

Tarsus is a city, and a large district, in Mersin Province, Turkey, from the city of Mersin and near to the city of Adana.With a history going back over 9,000 years Tarsus has long been an important stop for traders, a focal point of many civilisations including the Ancient Romans when Tarsus was capital of the province of Cilicia, scene...
. During World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
, a German and Turkish railway system through the Taurus Mountains proved to be a major strategic objective of the Allies. This region was specifically mentioned as a strategically controlled objective slated for surrender to the Allies in the Armistice, which ended hostilities against the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299?1923. It was Treaty of Lausanne by the Republic of Turkey, which was officially proclaimed on October 29, 1923....
.

Geography

In the Aladaglar and Bolkar mountains, limestone
Limestone

File:Limestone Formation In Waitomo.jpgLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite . The deposition of limestone strata is often a by-product and indicator of biological activity in the geology record....
 has eroded to form karst
KARST

Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical Telescope is a forerunner....
ic landscapes of waterfall
Waterfall

A waterfall is usually a geology geologic formation resulting from water, often in the form of a stream, flowing over an erosion-resistant rock formation that forms a nickpoint, or sudden break in elevation....
s, underground rivers, and some of the largest cave
Cave

A cave is a natural underground void large enough for a human to enter. Some people suggest that the term cave should only apply to cavities that have some part that does not receive daylight; however, in popular usage, the term includes smaller spaces like sea caves, rock shelters, and grottos....
s of Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
. The Manavgat River
Manavgat River

Manavgat River originates on the eastern slopes of Western Taurus Mountains in Turkey, and flows south over conglomerated strata for about 90 km, then over the Manavgat Waterfall and though the coastal plain and into the Mediterranean Sea....
 originates on the southern slopes of the Beydaglari range.

Attractions

In addition to hiking and mountain climbing, there are two ski resort
Ski resort

A ski area is a developed recreational facility, usually on a mountain or large hill, containing skiing trails and vital supporting services....
s on the mountain range, one at Davras about from the two nearest towns of Egirdir
Egirdir

Egirdir is a town and district of Isparta Province in the Mediterranean Region, Turkey region of Turkey....
 and Isparta
Isparta

Isparta is a city in western Turkey and the provincial capital of the Isparta Province. The city's population is 250,000 and elevation from sea level is 1035 m....
, the second is Saklikent
Saklikent

Another Saklikent in the Antalya region is the Saklikent Canyon.Saklikent is a winter resort in Turkey, 45 kilometres from Antalya and 60 kilometres from Antalya Airport....
  from the city of Antalya
Antalya

Antalya is a city on the Mediterranean Sea coast of southwestern Turkey. It is the capital city of Antalya Province Provinces of Turkey. The population of the city was 775,157 in the 2007 census....
.

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