Mount Güllük-Termessos National Park (), established in 1970, is a

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

located in

Antalya Province Antalya Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality of Turkey. It is located on the Mediterranean Region, Turkey, Mediterranean coast of south-west Turkey, between the Taur ...

, southwestern Turkey.

Overview

The national park is located in

Korkuteli Korkuteli is a municipality and district of Antalya Province, Turkey. Its area is 2,433 km2, and its population is 56,285 (2022). It is north-west of the city of Antalya. It was previously called İstanoz or Stenez. Etymology Its modern na ...

district of

, northwest of

Antalya Antalya is the fifth-most populous city in Turkey and the capital of Antalya Province. Recognized as the "capital of tourism" in Turkey and a pivotal part of the Turkish Riviera, Antalya sits on Anatolia's southwest coast, flanked by the Tau ...

, in the Düzlerçamı direction from on the Antalyal-Burdur highway D-650. Established on 3 November 1970, the national park covers an area of . Rising from the

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and rusty varieties. It is formed by a process ...

plains of Antalya, Mount Güllük contains the ruins of the ancient city of

Termessos Termessos (Greek Τερμησσός ''Termēssós''), also known as Termessos Major (Τερμησσός ἡ μείζων), was a Pisidian city built at an altitude of about 1000 metres at the south-west side of Solymos Mountain (modern Gül ...

, founded by the Solymoi, one of the indigenous peoples of

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

. In the ancient city that has survived to this day, the most important works include tombs from the

Hellenistic period In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...

, the royal road from the

Roman period The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

agora The agora (; , romanized: ', meaning "market" in Modern Greek) was a central public space in ancient Ancient Greece, Greek polis, city-states. The literal meaning of the word "agora" is "gathering place" or "assembly". The agora was the center ...

, theater, cisterns, walls, towers, and a drainage system. In the region, where hills, valleys, and canyons are often found, there is the Mecene Strait, which reaches a depth of .

Fauna and flora

The national park, with an elevation difference of , hosts a rich flora and fauna as well as historical values. The region is the habitat of the

fallow deer Fallow deer is the common name for species of deer in the genus ''Dama'' of subfamily Cervinae. There are two living species, the European fallow deer (''Dama dama''), native to Europe and Anatolia, and the Persian fallow deer (''Dama mesopotamic ...

, which is an extinct endangered species. It is also home to mammals such as

mountain goat The mountain goat (''Oreamnos americanus''), also known as the Rocky Mountain goat, is a cloven-footed mammal that is endemic to the remote and rugged mountainous areas of western North America. A subalpine to truly alpine species, it is a s ...

caracal The caracal (''Caracal caracal'') () is a medium-sized Felidae, wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and arid areas of Pakistan and northwestern India. It is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long ...

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 ...

es, stone martens,

fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

es, rabbits, squirrels,

badger Badgers are medium-sized short-legged omnivores in the superfamily Musteloidea. Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by their squat bodies and adaptions for fossorial activity rather than by the ...

s, hedgehogs, bats, and rare predators such as

Eastern imperial eagle The eastern imperial eagle (''Aquila heliaca'') is a large bird of prey that breeds in southeastern Europe and extensively through West and Central Asia. Most populations are migratory and winter in northeastern Africa, the Middle East and South a ...

s and songbirds. The endemic plant species in the national park, covered with

red pine ''Pinus resinosa'', known as red pine (also Norway pine in Minnesota), is a pine native to Eastern North America. Description Red pine is a coniferous evergreen tree characterized by tall, straight growth. It usually ranges from in heigh ...

forests and maquis plant communities, also add special importance and value to the biodiversity of the region.

Activities

The national park, where camping and picnicking are possible, hosts tens of thousands of visitors every year. The best time to visit is between April and December. The national park contains the Mount Güllük Interactive Natural History Museum, Turkey's first interactive nature museum, where the plant and animal species specific to the region can be examined, accompanied by technological applications.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mount Gulluk-Termessos National Park National parks of Turkey Geography of Antalya Province Landforms of Antalya Province Tourist attractions in Antalya Province Korkuteli District 1970 establishments in Turkey Protected areas established in 1970 World Heritage Tentative List for Turkey Important Bird Areas of Turkey Natural history of Anatolia

Overview

Fauna and flora

Activities

See also

References