The Tourkovounia ( el, Τουρκοβούνια), also known as Lykovounia (Λυκοβούνια, "wolf mountains") and in Antiquity called Anchesmos (), is a hill range in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

Attica Attica ( el, Αττική, Ancient Greek ''Attikḗ'' or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the city of Athens, the capital of Greece and its countryside. It is a peninsula projecting into the Aegean S ...

. The name has also been transferred to a neighbourhood in

Central Athens Central Athens ( el, Κεντρικός Τομέας Αθηνών) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Attica. The regional unit covers the central part of the agglomeration of Greater Athens. Administration As a ...

and a neighbourhood in

Keratsini Keratsini ( el, Κερατσίνι) is a suburb in the western part of the Piraeus regional unit, part of the Athens Urban Area. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Keratsini-Drapetsona, of which it is the seat a ...

. Tourkovounia means "Turkish mountains". They are so named because of a large Turkish cemetery that existed there during the

Ottoman period The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

in Greece. The Tourkovounia are the tallest and most extensive hill range in central Attica, dividing the Athens basin into eastern and western parts. The range forms the boundary between the municipalities of

Galatsi Galatsi ( el, Γαλάτσι, ''Galátsi'' ), called in Katharevousa Galatsion ( el, Γαλάτσιον, ''Galátsion''), is a northern suburb of Athens, Greece, and a municipality of the Attica (region), Attica region. The municipality has an a ...

(to the west and northwest),

Filothei Filothei ( el, Φιλοθέη) is a green, affluent northeastern suburb of Athens, Greece, consisting mainly of hillside villas, relatively close to the Olympic Stadium. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Filoth ...

(to the north) and

Psychiko Psychiko ( el, Ψυχικό ) is a suburb of Athens, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Filothei-Psychiko, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The municipality has an area of . Overview Psychik ...

(to the northeast), while the southern part of the range belongs to the municipality of Athens. The ancient name, Anchesmos, refers to the sharp peaks of the range, while the modern name is said to derive either from a Turkish cemetery during the

Ottoman rule Ottoman is the Turkish spelling of the Arabic masculine given name Uthman ( ar, عُثْمان, ‘uthmān). It may refer to: Governments and dynasties * Ottoman Caliphate, an Islamic caliphate from 1517 to 1924 * Ottoman Empire, in existence fro ...

or because the troops of Omar Pasha had their camp there in the last years of the Greek War of Independence. In the later 19th century, the hills were the lair of the notorious brigand Kakaras. During the

Regime of the Colonels In politics, a regime (also "régime") is the form of government or the set of rules, cultural or social norms, etc. that regulate the operation of a government or institution and its interactions with society. According to Yale professor Juan Jo ...

(1967-1974), a huge church dedicated to the Saviour was planned to be built on the hills as a "National

Votive A votive offering or votive deposit is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place for religious purposes. Such items are a feature of modern and ancient societies and are generally ...

", but the project was never carried out. In ancient times, the Greek god

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label= genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label= genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek reli ...

had an epithet derived from Anchesmos: Zeus Anchesmius (Greek: grc, Ἀγχέσμιος). There was a statue of him on the hill.

Pausanias Pausanias ( el, Παυσανίας) may refer to: *Pausanias of Athens, lover of the poet Agathon and a character in Plato's ''Symposium'' *Pausanias the Regent, Spartan general and regent of the 5th century BC * Pausanias of Sicily, physician of t ...

i. 32. § 2 Today, the Attic Forest, the Youth Center of Galatsi, and the Monastery of prophet Helias are located on the hills. The quarters of Polygono and Panorama Galatsiou are situated on their slopes.

References

{{DGRBM, author=LS, title=Anchesmius, volume=1, page=167, url=http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/moa/acl3129.0001.001/182 Hills of Athens