Göksu

This article is about the river. For other uses, see Göksu (disambiguation).

Göksu river

The Göksu (also called Geuk Su, Goksu Nehri, Saleph, Calycadnus) is a river in Taşeli Peninsula (Turkey). Both its sources arise in the Taurus Mountains—the northern in the Geyik Mountains and the southern in the Haydar Mountains. Their confluence is south of Mut.

The river is 260 km long and empties into the Mediterranean Sea 16 km southeast of Silifke (in Mersin province). The delta of the Göksu, including Akgöl Lake and Paradeniz Lagoon, is one of the most important breeding areas in the Near East; over 300 bird species have been observed. Among others, flamingos, herons, bee-eaters, kingfishers, gulls, nightingales and warblers breed here. The endangered Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) lays eggs here.

Due to demand for summer vacation apartments by the locals, and since necessary precautions are not taken and public attention is minimal in this part of Turkey, the ecosystem around Akgöl Lake and Paradeniz Lagoon is in heavy danger.

In 1190, while on the Third Crusade, Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor (Frederick Barbarossa) fell of his horse and drowned in the river, then known as Saleph. A monument in his honor may be found on the Silifke-Mut road.