Kazdağı National Park
Coordinates: 39 ° 38 ′ 18.5 " N , 26 ° 44 ′ 47.7" E
The Kazdağı National Park is a national park in Ida Mountains in northwestern Turkey , the landscape Troas . The Kazdağı is one of the most important floristic areas in Turkey.
location
Due to the great abundance of flora, a 20,935 hectare large part of the Ida Mountains (Kaz Dağları, Kazdağları, Kaz Dağı, Kazdağı) in the north of the Bay of Edremit (Turkey) was declared Kazdağı National Park (Turkish: Kazdağı Milli Parkı) in 1994. The mountains cover the highest parts of the southern Biga Peninsula and at the same time form the southern border of the Troas . The park is located in the western part of Balıkesir Province on the border with Çanakkale Province . The old crystalline massif of the Ida Mountains ("Mountain of the Goddess", Turkish Kaz Dağı "Goose Mountain") with the Karataş Tepesi as the highest elevation (1774 m) is said to derive its name from the pre-Greek mother goddess De or Da . The main access to the national park is from the south from Edremit-Akçay via Zeytinli and Mehmetalanı. From Çamlıbel, İdaköy, Mehmetalanı and Avılar you can get to know the most beautiful places in the national park on guided hikes. Another access via Ayazma Pınarı Tabiat Parkı within the northern part of the national park is possible via Bayramiç . Due to the numerous springs and waters on the more humid north side of the Kazdağı, a nature park area was registered here within the Kazdağı National Park in 1986 and designated as Ayazma Pınarı Tabiat Parkı (Ayazma Spring Nature Park) with an area of 5.85 ha on July 11, 2011 , which soon became extremely popular with the Turkish population as an excursion destination.
Geology and tectonics
For the Kazdağı National Park, as a larger part of the Ida Mountains, not only information on ecology and climate is interesting and important, but also information on the structure of the mountain and its geological-tectonic development, such as the Kazdağı massif and the Büyükhayrettin Tepe to the north (Salıhler Plateau, 492 m) form the framework of the Biga Peninsula. Both consist of crystalline slate, gneiss and marble . The mass of the Kaz Dağı, ie the geological core of the region, is a gneiss massif and extends at a width of 15 km over 45 km in NE-SW direction. The gneiss mass is covered discordantly with layers from the young Paleozoic ( Hercynian ) - with granodiorite intrusively metamorphosed to a high degree by contact metamorphosis . Granites in the form of large batholiths that occur in the north, east and south edges of the massif are also involved in the formation of the Kazdağı . In the Old Tertiary until around the end of the Oligocene , the Kazdağı massif with its neighboring massifs had formed an extensive and uniform mountain landscape that only protruded a few 100 m from its surroundings. Presumably at the end of the Oligocene, this "old" and larger Kazdağı massif was lifted by vertical movements. At the same time, the central part of this basement sank to a 15–20 km wide, NE to SW basin, the basin of Ezine-Bayramıç, which at that time was still covered by water. As a result, the previously uniform basement was divided into two mountain rocks, the Kazdağı in the south and the Biiyiikhayrettin Tepe, part of today's Salıhler Plateau, in the north. In the process, huge volcanic masses emerged - primarily andesite e - and covered large areas of the surrounding area. In addition, the southern edge of the “old” Kazdağı massif had sunk along a fault line running from east to west to deep below sea level: the Gulf of Edremit was formed. In the Miocene and Pliocene , the “new” Kazdağı massif again experienced strong tectonic movements. It bulged out of its surroundings in several phases like a dome, with extensive erosion areas that are today in the S at 700–1000 m and in the N at 450–500 m altitude. At that time, the Biga Peninsula was largely given its current shape: The peninsula rose en bloc, and the Kazdağı Massif reached its current height - and thus its function as an important climatic divide, which is also reflected in the recent vegetation of the Kazdağı National Park.
At various places in Kaz Dağı you come across interesting rock formations, which are striking because of their shape: more or less extensive collections of angular blocks. They were created by the dissolution of the mountain massif along crevice systems due to frost weathering or subtropical-alternately moist deep weathering. During longer periods of cold weather, this developed e.g. B. in the periglacial climatic area of the high mountains with superficially thawing soils to a highly mobile fluid earth - here in the Troas z. B. especially only in the upper high mountain range of the Kaz Dağı. Over inclined, superficially thawed frost soils - under the action of gravity - sliding processes occur with a confused concentration of rock blocks with rounded edges (block streams), which flow through valleys and hollows.
Special information on ecology and botany
While the olive trees in the Troas sometimes freeze to death in winter, the Kaz Dağı protects the Gulf of Edremit in the south from cold air from the north like a wall. On the one hand, the foothills of the massif are littered with villages and used for agriculture; on the other hand, the central mountain range is free from settlements and largely densely forested, which leads to problems during the summer dry phase. For the Kazdağı National Park, the danger of forest destruction is particularly serious, because 93% of it is forest, and almost nine-tenths of it is high forest in the form of conifers. In 1945 there was a catastrophic forest fire in the Kaz Dağları, which, despite the deployment of the military, could not be brought under control. That is why most of the populations there are no longer than 60–70 years old. Between 1990 and 1996, 569 forest fires destroyed over 9,000 hectares of forest in the province of Çanakkale. In 2000 alone, 85 fires raged in the forests of the region. Almost 4,000 hectares were destroyed in the flames. Therefore - except during the annual pilgrimage to the grave of the legendary "Sarıkız" on Baba Tepesi (from August 15-25) - the entire area can only be entered with special permission from the national park administration due to the risk of fire. Since 2019, gold mining has started in the Kaz Dağları. According to environmental organizations, 45,000 trees have been felled for gold mining since 2017. Aerial photographs document the corresponding environmental damage. In addition to its perennial waters Mıhlı Çayı, Küçüksu Çayı, Şahin Canyon (27 km long and 650 m deep), Manastır Çayı, Güre Çayı, Akçay and Zeytinli Çayı, the Kaz Dağı offers numerous springs, including various thermal and mineral springs. Thanks to its extensive forests, the Kazdağı has an abundance of plants that survived here after the Ice Age.
Unless the lower areas are largely occupied by olive monocultures, the forests of up to 800 m above sea level are dominated by Aleppo pine (Turkish: Halep Çamı, Pinus halepensis ), followed by black pines (Turkish: Karaçam, Pinus nigra ), oaks and firs. The area of Kaz Dağı belongs to the sub-Mediterranean winter rain area and is frost-free during the growing season. The forest community complex there is assigned to the North Aegean and contains elements of the Euro-Siberian, Mediterranean and Irano-Turanian flora. In addition to native pines, oaks, chestnuts (sweet chestnut, castanea vulgaris ), plane trees, sycamore maple ( Acer pseudoplatanus ), larches ( Larix europaea, Larix decidua ), judas tree ( Cercis siliquastrum ), black juniper ( Juniperus indica ), matix bush ( Pistacia lentiscus ) United Flowery peony ( Paeonia peregrina ), scarlet sage ( Salvia scalaria, Salvia Horminum ), pink shrub rose ( Rosa pulverulenta ), bladder früchtiger hellebore ( Helleborus vesicarius ) Gewürzsumach ( Rhus coriaria even Gerbersumach), Dyer's mignonette ( Reseda luteola , Färberwau), these are mainly endemic plants such as the Troia fir (see below), the Trojan limb (Turkish Sarıkız Çayı, Sideritis trojana , mountain tea), the mountain Rapunzel (Kum Çamı, Jasione idea Stoj ), the arum of the Ida Mountains ( Arum idaeum ), the Ida raspberry ( Batos idaia ), a variety of the oriental knapweed ( Centaurea Odyssei ), the Troian foxglove ( Digitalis trojana ), a special wild garlic ( Al lium kurtsianum ), various peony species ( Paeonia mascula and Paeonia peregrina ), the blue anemone (ray anemone , Anemone blando ) and the Ida crocus ( Crocus candidus subflavus ).
In this isolated mountain and hill area of the Ida Mountains, the only natural occurrences of fir trees can be found in the Troas, and there especially in the Kazdağı National Park. This is the special species of the so-called " Troia fir " ( Abies equi-trojani , Abies nordmanniana subsp. Equi-trojani ). The main tree species associated with the Troy fir are Pinus nigra (black pine), Fagus orientalis (Oriental beech), Castanea sativa (sweet or sweet chestnut) and nine different types of oak (including Quercus trojana, Macedonian oak). The troy fir is considered to be a hybrid tree species. It is said to have been created by hybridizing Abies cephalonica (Greek fir) and Abies bornmülleriana ( Bomüllertanne). Hybrids are Abies borisii-regis ( A. alba x cephalonica ) and Abies equi-trojani ( A. bornmuelleriana x borisii-regis ). It is characterized by resistance to summer heat, summer drought and winter frost. It mostly grows on granite and gneiss with brown earth and populates several separate areas on 25,600 hectares. The main occurrence area is at 1,000–1,400 m above sea level. The lowest deposit is currently around 300 m. The majority is planted with mixed stands with a proportion of 30–50% fir trees. At around 20 years of age, the troy fir is superior to the black pine and displaces it from the population. It can also develop pure stands at lower altitudes and at 70–90 years of age it reaches a height of 25–30 m with a trunk diameter of 50–60 cm. The taproot dies with increasing age and strong lateral roots are formed. Despite its ability to taper in open spaces, it is called a semi-shade tree.
The deep valleys and gorges that extend from south to north into the mountains offer not only rich potential for flora, but also for fauna, which is determined by vegetation with a great diversity of species: among an abundance of bird species hawk, eagle, falcon, sparrowhawk, wild pigeon, woodcock and partridge, and in the forests one encounters wild boars, wild cats, jackals and foxes as well as bears, deer, squirrels, bats, hedgehogs, marten, badgers, hares and rabbits, the mountain goat and sometimes the mountain antelope and the otter.
Mythology and legends
Already in Greek mythology, the Kaz Dağı was known as the "Ida Mountains", e.g. T. dramatic events:
- Already in antiquity the Ida Mountains were the center of the fertility cult that arose in the Bronze Age around the cave-dwelling mother god and fertility goddess of Asian Minor origin Cybele (Magna Mater Deum Idae) and an important place of an archaic Cybele blood sacrifice cult.
- According to Homer and Strabo, the legendary, presumably pre-Indo-European Lelegs, seafarers and pirates who did not speak Greek and who play a role in the Iliad as allies of the Troians lived in and south of Kaz Dağı.
- Here - as the prehistory of the Trojan War - the legend of the judgment of Paris is said to have taken place, the first beauty contest in the world between Hera, Athena and Aphrodite (in the epic "Kypria" partially preserved in writings of the Neoplatonic philosopher Proklos from the 5th century . B.C.). In memory of this, a national beauty contest is held here every year.
- It is from this mountain range that the Olympian gods are said to have observed, commented on and directed the battles of the Trojan War.
- Here Hera is said to have seduced Zeus on the Gargaron, one of the three peaks of Mount Ida (Koca Kaya), in order to distract him from the battles for Troy.
- According to legend, the shepherd Anchises, father of the Trojan hero Aeneas, was seduced here by Aphrodite, and both son Aeneas, the mythical ancestor of Rome, is said to have been brought up by nymphs in the Ida Mountains.
- In addition, Ganymede, Persian prince from Troy and lover of Zeus, who left his sister-wife Hera because of him, was kidnapped by Zeus in the form of an eagle.
In addition to its importance in Greek mythology, the Kaz Dağı also has its Turkish legends, among which that of "Sarıkız" is probably the best known:
The Turkmen Tahtakuşlar have transplanted and modified the Sarıkız legend of the innocent love for Ali from Arabia or Persia to the Aegean Sea, which is widespread throughout the Orient: Sarıkız (blonde girl), a beautiful Turkmen king's daughter and legendary saint of the Turkmen, is said to be his wife Salman of the Persian, a companion of Muhammad, who is buried in Karbala. When she fell in love with Ali, who later became the 4th caliph, she was banished to the Ida together with her father and a herd of goose (hence the name Kaz Dağı = goose mountain; for some Central Asian tribes, especially Turkmens, the goose was sacred Animal). According to legend, father and daughter died on the same day - and became legend themselves. Turkmen shepherds in the area found the corpses and built tombs (tombs) for them on the Kaz Dağı. Father and daughter thus gained a reputation for special holiness. Turkmen pilgrimages to the tomb of “Sarıkız” are held regularly (popular Islamic festival of Tahtakuşlar Turkmen every weekend between August 15 and 25).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ismet Uysal: An overview of plant diversity of Kazdagi (Mt. Ida) Forest National Park, Turkey . In: Journal of Environmental Biology . tape 31 , 2010, p. 141-147 .
- ↑ Kazdagi (Mount Ida) National Park. Retrieved on August 20, 2020 (German / English).
- ↑ Kazdağı Milli Parkı - Korunan Alanlar. Retrieved August 15, 2020 (Turkish).
- ↑ Ayazma Tabiat Parkı. Retrieved August 15, 2020 (Turkish).
- ↑ Ayazmapınarı Tabiat Parkı. Retrieved August 22, 2020 (Turkish).
- ↑ Nuri Güldalı: Geomorphology of Turkey . Supplements to the Tübingen Atlas of the Middle East, Series A, No. 4 . Reichert, Wiesbaden 1979, ISBN 3-88226-039-4 , pp. 203-206 .
- ^ Volker Höhfeld: City and landscape of Homer. A historical.geographical guide to Troy and the surrounding area . Ed .: Volker Höhfeld. Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 2009, ISBN 978-3-8053-4076-2 , p. 23 f .
- ^ Volker Höhfeld: City and landscape of Homer. A historical.geographical guide to Troy and the surrounding area . Ed .: Volker Höhfeld. Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 2009, ISBN 978-3-8053-4076-2 , p. 81-86 .
- ^ Kazdağı Milli Parkı - Balıkesir. Turkish Kultural Portal, accessed August 15, 2020 .
- ↑ Türkiye'de altın arama kazılarına tepki. Retrieved August 15, 2020 (Turkish).
- ↑ Tamsin Walker: Waldexperte Wohlleben: "Old forests are like cathedrals". August 14, 2019, accessed August 15, 2020 .
- ^ Volker Höhfeld: City and landscape of Homer. A historical.geographical guide to Troy and the surrounding area . Ed .: Volker Höhfeld. Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 2009, ISBN 978-3-8053-4076-2 , p. 81 ff .
- ^ Volker Höhfeld: City and landscape of Homer. A historical.geographical guide to Troy and the surrounding area . Ed .: Volker Höhfeld. Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 2009, ISBN 978-3-8053-4076-2 , p. 85 f .
- ^ Volker Höhfeld: City and landscape of Homer. A historical.geographical guide to Troy and the surrounding area . Ed .: Volker Höhfeld. Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 2009, ISBN 978-3-8053-4076-2 , p. 84 f .