Akdoğan Mountains (); (); is a mountain range located at the zero point of the Muş and

Erzurum Erzurum (; ) is a List of cities in Turkey, city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. It is the site of an ...

border. It extends from the east of Akdoğan lake to Karaçoban district by crossing the border where

Varto Varto (; or , ''Varto'') is a town in Muş Province, Turkey. It is the seat of Varto District.Bulanık and Hınıs districts intersect.

Geology and geomorphology

Akdoğan mountains appear as a mountain mass between the Hınıs Plain and the

Murat Murat may refer to: Places Australia * Murat Bay, a bay in South Australia * Murat Marine Park, a marine protected area France * Murat, Allier, a commune in the department of Allier * Murat, Cantal, a commune in the department of Cantal Elsew ...

river. It includes Akdoğan Lake, one of

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

's highest and well-preserved lakes. It has rich water resources and some parts of the mountain consist of

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime (mineral), lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of Science, scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcare ...

layers. Akdoğan Mountains are one of the important wetlands for birds and there are more than 100 small and shallow lakes on it. Most of the lakes are located around the Hınıs villages, located north of the 2879 meter peak. Akdoğan Mountains are one of the highest mountains in Muş province and have the most organized forests. The width of the Akdoğan mountains is 10 km and the length is 30 km. As a result of the volcanic eruptions in the Akdoğan Mountains, Akdoğan crater lakes was formed. Göztepe and Hızırbaba are one of the highest mountains on the Akdoğan mountains. Mount Süphan is visible even in the lowest parts of the region.

Biota

Flora

The main plant species in the Akdoğan mountains are toxic Ferula and non-toxic Ferula, Rheum ribes, Gundelia,

Sorrel Sorrel (''Rumex acetosa''), also called common sorrel or garden sorrel, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Polygonaceae. Other names for sorrel include spinach dock and narrow-leaved dock ("dock" being a common name for the genus ''Ru ...

, Arum maculatum, Eremurus spectabilis, Diplotaenia cachrydifolia Boiss, Chaerophyllum macrospermum,

Thymus (plant) The genus ''Thymus'' ( ; thymes) contains about 350 species of aromatic perennial plant, perennial herbaceous plants and subshrubs in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World. Several members of the genus are cultivated as culinary he ...

, Eryngium billardieri, Chondrilla juncea, Paeonia turcica, Astragalus kurdicus, Chicory and Euphorbia sp. In addition, there are Pleurotus eryngii var. ferulae mushrooms in every part of the mountain. Frangula alnus and Prunus cerasifera are located on the humid shores of the lakes. Oak trees,

Crataegus monogyna ''Crataegus monogyna'', known as common hawthorn, whitethorn, one-seed hawthorn, or single-seeded hawthorn, is a species of flowering plant in the rose family, Rosaceae. It grows to about tall, producing plant sexuality, hermaphrodite flowers i ...

, Malus sylvestris, Pyrus elaeagrifolia,

Prunus mahaleb ''Prunus mahaleb'', the mahaleb cherry or St Lucie cherry, is a species of cherry tree. The tree is cultivated for a spice obtained from the seeds inside the cherry stones. The seeds have a fragrant smell and have a taste comparable to bitter alm ...

, Rosa canina, Aria edulis and Cotoneaster nummularius are other trees on the mountains.

Fauna

The main animals in the region are

Bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...

Wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, includin ...

, Fox, Pig,

Partridge A partridge is a medium-sized Galliformes, galliform bird in any of several genera, with a wide Indigenous (ecology), native distribution throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Several species have been introduced to the Americas. They ar ...

Lynx A lynx ( ; : lynx or lynxes) is any of the four wikt:extant, extant species (the Canada lynx, Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx and the bobcat) within the medium-sized wild Felidae, cat genus ''Lynx''. The name originated in Middle Engl ...

Duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...

Turtle Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...

, Williams's jerboa, Caspian turtle and European green lizard.

References

{{Mountains of Turkey Mountains of Turkey Landforms of Muş Province Landforms of Erzurum Province Varto District Bulanık District