Troodos Mountains

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Troodos or TrodosTemplate:Efn is the largest mountain range in Cyprus, located roughly in the centre of the island. Its highest peak is Mount OlympusTemplate:Sndalso known in Greek as Script error: No such module "Lang". (Hionistra) - at Script error: No such module "convert"..[1]

Covering a third of Cyprus's area,[2] the Troodos mountain range stretches across most of the western side of the island. The mountains form a significant rain shadow on the island.[3] There are many mountain resorts, Byzantine monasteries, and churches on the peaks, as well as villages nestling in its valleys and clinging to terraced hillsides. The area has been known since antiquity for its mines, which for centuries supplied copper to the entire Mediterranean. During the Byzantine period it became a centre of Byzantine art, as churches and monasteries[4] were built in the mountains, away from the threatened coastline.

The mountains are home to Troodos Station, a listening post for both the American National Security Agency and the British GCHQ.[5]

The name Troodos probably comes from one of two sources: either Template:Wikt-lang + Template:Wikt-lang (Script error: No such module "Lang". + Script error: No such module "Lang".), referring to the three roads that lead to the mountain, or Template:Wikt-lang + Template:Wikt-lang + Template:Wikt-lang (Script error: No such module "Lang". + Script error: No such module "Lang". + Script error: No such module "Lang".), meaning the mountains of Adonis.[6][7]

It has many endemic plants and animals,[2] including the Cyprus cedar.[8]

Geology

File:On Trooidos (1900) - TIMEA.jpg
A campsite in Troodos in 1900

The Troodos Mountains are known for containing an undisturbed ophiolite sequence, the Troodos Ophiolite.[9] The range rose slowly from the sea as a result of the collision between the African and European tectonic plates, a process that eventually formed the island of Cyprus. As this process slowed and nearly ceased, the rock formations remained largely intact, while subsequent erosion exposed the former magma chamber beneath the mountains, revealing intact rocks and petrified pillow lava formed millions of years ago - an excellent example of ophiolite stratigraphy. The observations of the Troodos ophiolite by Ian Graham Gass and co-workers were among the pieces of evidence that led to the theory of seafloor spreading. A detailed descriptive geological survey of Troodos was published in 1959.[10] Although it predates the modern theory of plate tectonics, it provides exhaustive descriptions of rocks and structures.

Climate

Like the rest of Cyprus, the climate is Mediterranean but it has somewhat greater diurnal ranges in temperature than coastal areas.[2] For example, at Prodromos, daily mean temperatures are around Template:Cvt in January and Template:Cvt in July.[2]

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Flora and fauna

File:Planinski lanac Troodos.jpg
Forests of Troodos Mountains

The most ubiquitous trees in the Troodos mountains are the Turkish pine (Pinus brutia) and the golden oak (Quercus alnifolia).[2] Some plants of the Olea, Rhus and Rosa genera populate the mountains, in particular Crataegus azarolus, Crataegus monogyna, Rhus coriaria and Rosa canina.[2]

Photo of an endemic tree of the Troodos Mountains
C. libani subsp. brevifolia at Template:Cvt altitude

At higher altitudes, forests dominated by Anatolian black pine (Pinus nigra ssp. Pallasiana) grow,[2] along with several Juniperus species (J. excelsa, J. foetidissima and J. oxycedrus). The common whitebeam (Sorbus aria) also grows there, together with the endemic shrubs Rosa chionistrae[11] and Berberis cretica.[2] The Cyprus cedar (Cedrus libani subsp. brevifolia) occurs at the highest peaks.[2]

Chief among the fauna is the endangered Cyprus mouflon (Ovis gmelini ophion).[2] The venomous Cypriot blunt-nosed viper (Macrovipera lebetina lebentina) is present in the mountains,[2] as well as a rich bird population, including the common raven (Corvus corax), Bonelli's eagle (Hieraaetus fasciatus), Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) and the Eurasian Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus).[2]

Churches

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Chapel of the Saint Mary near Klirou village
File:Panagia Forviothissa Asinou Nikitari.JPG
Panagia Forviothissa in Asinou village

The region is known for its many Byzantine churches and monasteries, richly decorated with murals, of which the Kykkos monastery is the richest and most famous. Nine churches and one monastery in Troodos together form a World Heritage Site, originally inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1985. The nine Byzantine churches are:

  • Stavros tou Agiasmati
  • Panagia tou Araka
  • Timiou Stavrou at Pelendri
  • Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis
  • Panagia Podithou
  • Assinou
  • Agios Ioannis Lampadistis at Kalopanagiotis
  • Panagia tou Moutoula
  • Archangel Michael at Pedoulas
  • Transfiguration of the Saviour Palaichori

Selected villages

File:Omodos street 2010.jpg
Omodos

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Gallery

See also

Notes

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References

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  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Wilson, R.A.M. The Geology of the Xeros-Troodos Area: Geological Survey Department, cyprus, Memoir No. 1. Nicosia, Cyprus: Government of Cyprus, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, 1959, reprinted 1971.
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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External links

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