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Mountaineering
 A
glance at a topographical map of Turkey eveals that this
is a country of mountains. Rising from all four directions,
mountains encircle the peninsula of Anatolia. A part of
the Alpine-Himalayan Mountain range, Turkey has mountainous
regions with different geological formations.The North Anatolian
range skirts the Mediterranean shore.
Turkey's magnificient mountains and forests are mostly
undeveloped, existing as wonderful natural preserves for
an extraordinary variety of wild life, flora and fauna.
 Two
of Turkey's most famous peaks are volcanos, both inactive,Mt.
Erciyes in Kayseri in Central Anatolia(3917 m) and Mt. Agri;
(mt. Ararat 5137 m) in the east. Other mountain ranges are
the Rize Kaзkar (3932 m) in the eastern Black Sea region,
Nigde Aladag; (3756 m) in the central Taurus range and the
Cilo and Sat mountains (4136 m) near Hakkari in the eastern
Taurus.
The mountainous nature of the country has inflounced its
cultural evolution. For centuries, nomads and semi-nomadic
peoples have moved yearly to the fresh pastures of the higher
elevations in the summer. These alpine medows, called yayla,
house nomadic people whose traditional culture is still
preserved.
For climbers and those interested in the geography of mountains,
Turkey offers a wealth of exploration. Glaciers, volcanos,
and peculiar geological formations such as karst prove irresistable
to researchers and students of the geology. The challenging
terrain offers opportunities to aficionados of outdoor sports,
who find the most interesting experiences on the mountains
of eastern, central and southern Turkey. A list of resources
to aid an expedition, is found in the rest of this text.
Activities
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