Uludağ (), the ancient Mysian or Bithynian Olympus (

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

: 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 Bithynia (; ) was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), adjoining the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, and the Black Sea. It bordered Mysia to the southwest, Paphlagonia to the northeast a ...

, 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 Iconoclasm ()From . ''Iconoclasm'' may also be considered as a back-formation from ''iconoclast'' (Greek: εἰκοκλάστης). The corresponding Greek word for iconoclasm is εἰκονοκλασία, ''eikonoklasia''. is the social belie ...

emperors and then to a latent opposition to the urban,

Constantinopolitan Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

monasticism of the

Studites The Monastery of Stoudios, more fully Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner "at Stoudios" (), often shortened to ''Stoudios'', Studion or ''Stoudion'' (), was a Greek Orthodox Church, Greek Orthodox monastery in Constantinople (modern-day Istan ...

."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 An oak savanna is a type of savanna (or lightly forested grassland), where oaks (''Quercus ''spp.) are the dominant trees. It is also generally characterized by an understory that is lush with grass and herb-related plants. The terms "oakery" or ...

, 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 The bearded vulture (''Gypaetus barbatus''), also known as the lammergeier and ossifrage, is a very large bird of prey in the monotypic genus ''Gypaetus''. The bearded vulture is the only known vertebrate whose diet consists of 70–90% bone. ...

and other

vultures A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

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 Raptor(s) or RAPTOR may refer to: Animals The word "raptor" refers to several groups of avian and non-avian dinosaurs which primarily capture and subdue/kill prey with their talons. * Raptor (bird) or bird of prey, a bird that primarily hunt ...

species. Other high-altitude species include

alpine accentor The alpine accentor (''Prunella collaris'') is a small passerine bird in the family Prunellidae, which is native to Eurasia and North Africa. Taxonomy The Alpine accentor was described by the Austrian naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 176 ...

rock thrush The rock thrushes, ''Monticola'', are a genus of chat (bird), chats, medium-sized mostly insectivorous or omnivorous songbirds. All are Old World birds, and most are associated with mountainous regions. Taxonomy The genus ''Monticola'' was erect ...

es and choughs. The area is also good for eastern specialities such as

isabelline wheatear The isabelline wheatear (''Oenanthe isabellina'') is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher in the family Muscicapidae. It is ...

, and, at almost the most westerly points of their range,

red-fronted serin The red-fronted serin or fire-fronted serin (''Serinus pusillus'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It prefers high mountain regions and is long. This bird breeds in the Caucasus and the higher mountains of Turkey an ...

and

Krüper's nuthatch Krüper's nuthatch (''Sitta krueperi'') is a species of bird in the nuthatch family Sittidae. It is a small to medium-sized nuthatch, measuring in length. The are blue-grey, with the front half of the black in adults of both sexes, but with ...

. The dense fir forest holds

short-toed treecreeper The short-toed treecreeper (''Certhia brachydactyla'') is a small passerine bird found in woodlands through much of the warmer regions of Europe and into north Africa. It has a generally more southerly distribution than the other European Certhi ...

common crossbill The red crossbill or common crossbill (''Loxia curvirostra'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. Crossbills have distinctive mandibles, crossed at the tips, which enable them to extract seeds from conifer cones and other ...

and

Tengmalm's owl The boreal owl (''Aegolius funereus'') or Tengmalm's owl is a small owl in the "true owl" family Strigidae. It is known as the boreal owl in North America and as Tengmalm's owl in Europe after Swedish naturalist Peter Gustaf Tengmalm or, more ra ...

, a rare and very local bird in Turkey, as well as the

white-backed woodpecker The white-backed woodpecker (''Dendrocopos leucotos'') is a Eurasian woodpecker belonging to the genus ''Dendrocopos''. Taxonomy The white-backed woodpecker was described by the German naturalist Johann Matthäus Bechstein in 1802 under the b ...

. 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 ''Doronicum orientale'', the Oriental leopard's bane, is a European plant species in the family Asteraceae. Description ''Doronicum orientale'' is a perennial herb that has daisy-like yellow flower heads on long, straight stems, which attract ...

''), crocuses: the purple '' Crocus siberi'' and yellow '' Crocus flavus'', and grape hyacinths (''

Muscari racemosum ''Muscari racemosum'' is a perennial bulbous flowering plant in the asparagus family Asparagaceae. The members of the genus are commonly known as grape hyacinths. Originally from south-west Turkey where it grows in rocky places, it is sometimes ...

''). 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