Değ Firmen Deresi
| Değ Firmen Deresi | ||
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| location | Sanliurfa Province ( Turkey ) | |
| Geographical location | 37 ° 15 '6 " N , 37 ° 52' 27" E | |
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| length | 2.5 km | |
Değ Firmen Deresi (Turkish for "Mühlenschlucht") is a gorge in Eski Halfeti , a Turkish city in southeastern Anatolia.
It is located at the top of the Birecik reservoir in the upper Euphrates . The gorge is about 2500 meters long and ends near the town of Seldek. Only the lower part (in the west) has rich, natural vegetation: wild fig trees and wild plants thrive on the banks of a small stream that gathers the springs of the gorge and drains them into the Euphrates. Lichen and moss also use the high humidity; their rich green contrasts with the orange to rusty brown colored stone, the surface of which has been smoothed by the water. The gorge has been designated a nature reserve, it is also the habitat of rare birds, insects and amphibians. Visitors can explore the area, which also has ancient ruins and other sights, on a 5-kilometer circular hiking trail. In every season of the year, light and shadow reflections stimulate the imagination of the visitors, the gorge is a regionally significant sight and is popular in summer for swimming and hiking. There are also several “waterfalls” in the Değirmen Deresi Gorge, an overhanging rock face about 50 meters long is a popular photo opportunity.
In the Middle Ages, the water power of the stream was used by the installation of mills, the operators of the mills had to dig channels into the rock to regulate the water and feed it to the mill wheels. The name "Mühlenschlucht" is a reminder of this time, because the ruins of the former mills have already disappeared.
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- ↑ Halfeti Millî Eğitim Bakanlığı ( Memento from January 24, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Explanation (Turkish), accessed on May 19, 2008
- ↑ Photo of the explanatory board at the entrance to the gorge , accessed on May 21, 2008
