Troodos Mountains

Troodos
Troodos
	Trees of Mount Olympus
Highest point
Peak	Mount Olympus
Naming
Native name	Τρόοδος (Greek); Trodos Dağları (Turkish);
Geography
Country	Cyprus

Troodos (sometimes spelled Troödos; Greek: Τρόοδος [ˈtɾo.oðos]; Template:Lang-tr) is the largest mountain range in Cyprus, located in roughly the center of the island. Its highest peak is Mount Olympus (Greek: Όλυμπος), also known as Chionistra (Greek: Χιονίστρα), at 1,952 metres (6,404 ft), which hosts the Sun Valley and North Face ski areas with their five ski lifts.

The Troodos mountain range stretches across most of the western side of Cyprus. There are many mountain resorts, Byzantine monasteries, and churches on mountain peaks, and nestling in its valleys and mountains are villages clinging to terraced hills. The area has been known since antiquity for its mines, which for centuries supplied copper to the entire Mediterranean. In the Byzantine period it became a centre of Byzantine art, as churches and monasteries^[1] were built in the mountains, away from the threatened coastline. The mountains are also home to RAF Troodos, a listening post for the NSA and GCHQ.^[2]

The name Troodos probably comes from one of two sources: either τρία + ὁδός (tría + hodós), referring to the three roads that lead to the mountain, or τό + ὄρος + Ἄδος (to + oro + Ados), meaning the mountains of Adonis.^[3]^[4]

Geology of Troodos

The Troodos mountains are known worldwide for their geology and the presence of an undisturbed ophiolite sequence, the Troodos Ophiolite. These mountains slowly rose from the sea due to the collision of the African and European tectonic plates, a process that eventually formed the island of Cyprus. The slowing and near-cessation of this process left the rock formations nearly intact, while subsequent erosion uncovered the magma chamber underneath the mountain, allowing a viewing of intact rocks and petrified pillow lava formed millions of years ago, an excellent example of ophiolite stratigraphy. The observations of the Troodos ophiolite by Ian Graham Gass and co-workers was one of the key points that led to the theory of sea floor spreading.

Climate

Climate data for Prodromos in Troodos Mountains, elevation: 1380 m (Satellite view)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean maximum °C (°F)	13.3 (55.9)	13.9 (57.0)	18.5 (65.3)	24.7 (76.5)	27.9 (82.2)	30.6 (87.1)	32.2 (90.0)	32.2 (90.0)	30.2 (86.4)	26.6 (79.9)	20.1 (68.2)	14.3 (57.7)	23.7 (74.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	6.3 (43.3)	6.6 (43.9)	10.3 (50.5)	15.1 (59.2)	20.5 (68.9)	25.0 (77.0)	28.1 (82.6)	27.9 (82.2)	24.4 (75.9)	19.6 (67.3)	12.8 (55.0)	8.0 (46.4)	17.1 (62.8)
Daily mean °C (°F)	3.5 (38.3)	3.5 (38.3)	6.6 (43.9)	10.7 (51.3)	15.8 (60.4)	20.1 (68.2)	23.3 (73.9)	23.1 (73.6)	19.6 (67.3)	15.4 (59.7)	9.5 (49.1)	5.3 (41.5)	13.0 (55.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	0.7 (33.3)	0.3 (32.5)	2.8 (37.0)	6.3 (43.3)	11.1 (52.0)	15.2 (59.4)	18.4 (65.1)	18.2 (64.8)	14.9 (58.8)	11.3 (52.3)	6.2 (43.2)	2.5 (36.5)	9.0 (48.2)
Mean minimum °C (°F)	−4.5 (23.9)	−5.2 (22.6)	−2.6 (27.3)	0.5 (32.9)	4.7 (40.5)	9.2 (48.6)	13.5 (56.3)	14.0 (57.2)	10.1 (50.2)	5.4 (41.7)	0.1 (32.2)	−2.8 (27.0)	3.5 (38.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	133.4 (5.25)	123.6 (4.87)	82.3 (3.24)	56.9 (2.24)	26.0 (1.02)	40.0 (1.57)	12.1 (0.48)	10.0 (0.39)	9.5 (0.37)	24.0 (0.94)	102.5 (4.04)	169.7 (6.68)	790.1 (31.11)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm)	12.4	11.2	9.8	6.7	3.7	2.1	0.7	0.7	1.4	3.5	7.4	11.2	70.7
Mean monthly sunshine hours	130.2	150.8	195.3	231.0	275.9	315.0	328.6	310.0	255.0	220.1	165.0	136.4	2,713.3
Source: Meteorological Service (Cyprus)^[5]

Churches

Chapel of the Saint Mary near Klirou village

The region is known for its many Byzantine churches and monasteries, richly decorated with murals, of which the Kykkos monastery is the richest and most famous. Nine churches and one monastery in Troodos together form a World Heritage Site, originally inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1985. The nine Byzantine churches are: