Taurus Mountains
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- For the Taurus Mountains on the moon, see Montes Taurus. For Mount Taurus outside Cold Spring, New York, see Bull Hill.
Taurus Mountains (Arabic,جبال طوروس, Turkish: Toros Dağları) are a mountain range in southern Turkey, from which the Euphrates (Turkish: Fırat) and Tigris (Turkish: Dicle) descend into Syria and Iraq. The Manavgat River originates on its southern slopes.[1]
The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğirdir in the west to the upper reaches of the Euphrates and Tigris in the east. It has many peaks rising above 10,000–12,000 ft (3,000–3,700 m), with the highest point being the Demirkazık summit in the region known as Aladağlar, at 3,756 meters (12,322 ft.) high. Another notable peak is Medetsiz (3,524 m/11,561 ft) in the Bolkar Dağları section.
It divides the Mediterranean region of southern Turkey from the central Anatolian plateau.
The pass known in antiquity as the Cilician Gates crosses the range north of Tarsus, which was the birth place of Apostle Paul.
Limestone has eroded to form karstic landscapes of waterfalls, underground rivers, and the largest caves of Asia.
At Kestel is a Bronze Age archaeological site where early evidence of tin mining was found.
There is a ski resort at Davras about 25 km from the two nearest towns of Egirdir and Isparta.
References
- ^ "Manavgat River Water as a Limited but Alternative Water Resource for Domestic Use in Middle East" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-02-16.