Uludağ (), the ancient Mysian or Bithynian Olympus ( Greek: Όλυμπος), is a mountain in

Bursa Province Bursa Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality in Turkey along the Sea of Marmara coast in northwestern Anatolia. It borders Balıkesir Province, Balıkesir to the west, K ...

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 ...

, with an elevation of . In Turkish, ''Uludağ'' means "

great Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" * Artel Great (bo ...

mountain". In ancient times the range of which it is a part, extending along the southern edge of Bithynia, was known as Olympos in Greek and Olympus in Latin, the western extremity being known as the Mysian Olympus and the eastern as the Bithynian Olympus, and the city of

Bursa Bursa () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...

was known as Prusa ad Olympum from its position near the mountain. Throughout the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, it contained hermitages and monasteries: "The rise of this monastic centre in the 8th c. and its prestige up to the 11th are linked to the resistance of numerous monks to the policy of the iconoclast emperors and then to a latent opposition to the urban, Constantinopolitan monasticism of the Studites."Andre Vauchez et al., ''Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages'', Routledge, 2000, p. 1046 One of the greatest monks of the Christian East, the wonder-working Byzantine monk Saint Joannicius the Great, lived as a hermit on this mountain. Mt. Uludağ is the highest mountain of the Marmara region. Its highest peak is Kartaltepe at . To the north are high plateaus: Sarıalan, Kirazlıyayla, Kadıyayla, and Sobra. There is an abandoned wolfram mine near the summit. The mine and the integrated plant, which were built in 1974 for US$60 million, were closed in 1989 due to high production costs. The area is a popular center for winter sports such as

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

, and 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 ...

of rich

flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

and

fauna Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...

. Summer activities, such as trekking and

camping Camping is a form of outdoor recreation or outdoor education involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent. Camping can also include a recreational vehicle, sheltered cabins, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a Bivy bag ...

, also are popular.

Uludağ National Park Turkey

The highest area in western

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 ...

, Uludağ is easily ascended by car or cable-car. The park is about south of Bursa and is signposted from there. Bursa can be reached by road from

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. The cable-car ascends from Bursa and has an intermediate stop in the alpine meadows of Kadiyayla at about elevation. It ends at Sarialan at about . Habitats of the park range from oak savanna, lowland

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

forest and isolated maquis, through

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

and

fir Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus ''Abies'' () in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The genu ...

mixed forest, to alpine meadows at the highest levels. It is a refuge for mountain birds, such as lammergeier and other vultures,

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of pr ...

and more than 20 other raptor species. Other high-altitude species include alpine accentor, rock thrushes and choughs. The area is also good for eastern specialities such as isabelline wheatear, and, at almost the most westerly points of their range, red-fronted serin and Krüper's nuthatch. The dense fir forest holds short-toed treecreeper, common crossbill and Tengmalm's owl, a rare and very local bird in Turkey, as well as the white-backed woodpecker. The rare and local butterfly, '' Parnassius apollo graslini'', is found on Uludag and the area has much of interest to botanists, with colourful pink primroses (''

Primula vulgaris ''Primula vulgaris'', also called the common primrose, is a species of flowering plant in the family (biology), family Primulaceae, native plant, native to Eurasia.''Flora Europaea'Primula vulgaris''/ref> The common name of this plant is prim ...

'' var. ''sibthorpii''), leopard's bane ('' Doronicum orientale''), crocuses: the purple '' Crocus siberi'' and yellow '' Crocus flavus'', and grape hyacinths ('' Muscari racemosum''). There are also a few

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 ...

packs roaming on the mountain.

International winter sports events hosted

The ski resort hosted CEV Snow Volleyball European Tour events in 2017 and 2018.

Gallery

Uludağda kayak keyfi.jpg, Skiing in January View of Bursa from the hills of Mount Uludag.jpg, View of

from the hills View of Mount Uludag from the Asian side of Istanbul - 17.jpg, View from the Asian side of

(distance: 100.74 km / 62.6 mi) Uludağ from plane.jpg, Aerial view Uludag satellite.png, Satellite view with Bursa in the northwest Uludağ on April 18th 2015..JPG, alt=Snow on the top of Uludağ , View

References

External links

*
Slope and elevation information for Uludağ

Uludağ Photographs

"Uludag Tepe" on Peakbagger

"Bursa Tesisat"

"Bursa Tabela"

"Bursa Tabela"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uludag Mountains of Turkey Landforms of Bursa Province National parks of Turkey Ski areas and resorts in Turkey Tourist attractions in Bursa Province Two-thousanders of Turkey Important Bird Areas of Turkey Former Christian monasteries in Turkey Byzantine monasteries in Turkey Mountains associated with Byzantine monasticism

Uludağ National Park Turkey

International winter sports events hosted

Gallery

See also

References

External links