Psiloritis
| Psiloritis massif / Ida mountains | ||
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 The Psiloritis massif seen from the west |
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| Highest peak | Psiloritis / Timios Stavros ( 2456 m ) | |
| location | Crete , Greece | |
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| Coordinates | 35 ° 13 ' N , 24 ° 48' E | |
The Psiloritis massif or Idagebirge ( Greek Ίδη Idi , f. Sg. ) Is one of the three over 2000 meters high mountain massifs on the Greek Mediterranean island of Crete . It is located in central Crete, southwest of the capital, Heraklion .
The highest peak of the massif is the Psiloritis (gr. Ψηλορείτης ( m. Sg. ), Dt. About 'high mountain') with 2456 meters , also called Timios Stavros (Τίμιος Σταυρός, 'venerable cross') after the summit chapel. It is surrounded by four other mountain peaks with a height of over 2200 meters: the Agathias (ο Αγκαθιάς) with 2424 meters, the Stolistra (η Στολίστρα) with 2325 meters, the Voulomenou (η Βουλομονος) with 2267 meters and the Koussασσ ( 2209 meters.
The ancient name of the Ida Mountains is sometimes used again today. It was derived from the name of the Nida plateau , which had retained the name of the mountain mentioned in ancient writings. In Greek mythology , the massif is one of the birthplaces of the god father Zeus .
geology
The spatial extent of the massif in west-east direction extends over more than 30 kilometers from Arkadi monastery to Krousonas in the east. The central and western parts of the mountain range consist mainly of rocks of the plate limestone series, the eastern parts of gray Tripoliza limestone. The mountains are characterized by strong karstification , which has led to the formation of the Nida and various large caves.
Flora and fauna
The Doric name for the mountains meant 'forest mountains'. Thousands of years of overgrazing and deforestation resulted in a decline in the wooded area down to residual stocks such as the Rouvas forest (Δάσος Ρούβα). Today the Phrygana is dominated by plants . Plants that are insensitive to frost and drought thrive up to the heights and are exposed to constant browsing by goats and sheep, which also graze in the highest regions. The dominant plant in bush form is the tragacanth Astragalus angustifolius .
Although it is even more affected by overgrazing than, for example, the White Mountains , the number of sheep and goats in the psiloritis area has increased significantly through EU funding. Nevertheless, almost half of all Cretan endemics are also native to the Ida Mountains, which are also designated as a whole at the European level as an Important Bird Area .
Transport links and tourism
To the south and north of the massif, roads run in an east-west direction that connect many small towns on the mountain slopes. There are consistently paved north-south traffic connections only to the west and east of the mountain range. A largely unpaved road connects the Nida plateau , which can be reached from Anogia, with the village of Gergeri south of the massif .
Hiking destinations in the Ida Mountains include the Nida Plateau south of Anogia, the Idean Grotto (Ideon Andron) , the mythical birthplace of Zeus, on the western slope of the plain, the Kamares Cave , the archaeological site of Zominthos and the Rouvas, which opens out at Zaros in the south -Gorge , which leads north to the Rouvas forest - the largest Kermes oak forest in Crete.
The Psiloritis massif can be hiked from several starting points; Marked paths and roads lead from Fourfouras , Lochria , Kamares , Zaros, Gergeri, Asites , Krousonas and Anogia (across the Nida plateau) to the summit region. Some of these trails are part of the E4 European long-distance hiking trail .
The summit region is very arid. There is a cistern next to the summit chapel , the water of which can only be boiled. Stone shelters in the style of shepherds' huts (mitata) have been added to the Timios Stavros chapel as overnight accommodation .
literature
- Mount Idha (psiloritis). Topographic hiking map 1: 25,000. Anavasi, Athens 2006, ISBN 960-8195-90-X .
- Crete . In: Merian (travel magazine) , April 4, 1978
- Dagmar Lange, Monika Wächter: Travel Guide Nature - Crete. BLV, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-405-15524-X .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hans Pars : But Crete was divine . The experience of the excavations (= The modern non-fiction book . Volume 35 ). 3. Edition. Walter, Olten and Freiburg im Breisgau 1965, The treasure in the cave, p. 222/223 .
- ↑ Lange, Wächter: Travel Guide Nature - Crete
- ↑ See graphics, page 37 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 7.2 MB)
