Žeden () is a medium-high

mountain massif A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, ''massif'' is frequently used to denote the main mass of a ...

located in northwestern Macedonia.

Location and features

The mountain stretches between the

Skopje Valley Skopje Basin () or Skopje Plain () is one of the largest depression (geology), basins in North Macedonia. It represents the second largest valley along the course of the Vardar river. The Skopje Valley is formed by the mountains of Žeden, Ivanje ...

to the east and the Polog Valley to the west. It is bordered to the north and northeast by the river

Vardar The Vardar (; , , ) or Axios (, ) is the longest river in North Macedonia and a major river in Greece, where it reaches the Aegean Sea at Thessaloniki. It is long, out of which are in Greece, and drains an area of around . The maximum depth of ...

and the foothills of the Šar Mountains and the

Skopska Crna Gora Skopska Crna Gora or Karadak Mountains ( Macedonian and , ; ), often called simply Crna Gora (Macedonian and ; ), is a mountain range and ethnographic region in North Macedonia, Kosovo and Serbia. The highest peak is Ramno in Macedonia. The la ...

; to the southeast by Bojansko Pole and Kopaničko Pole - parts of the Skopje Valley, and to the south by the Prigrabska Valley Tetovo Suvodolica. Mount Žeden extends in a southwest–northeast direction and covers a total area of . Its terrain is rounded, and it is crowned by several peaks, with the highest being Vodeni Kamen (1,264 m). Mount Žeden is abundant with mountain tea, which the people from the surrounding villages call "Žeden Tea." The mountain lacks dense vegetation and water, as the name "Žeden" suggests, which means "without water" or "thirsty". Mount Žeden is home to two caves: Dona Duka and Bojanska Peshtera. The mountain is inhabited by various fauna, including hares, wolves, and other animals.

Hiking

The mountain can be easily hiked in 1–2 hours, which is faster compared to other mountains in western Macedonia, to reach the peak called Vodeni Kamen (Golem Žeden).

Peaks

Mount Žeden has 4 peaks: Vodeni Kamen (), Vrvot na Žeden (), Visoka (), and Ušajna (). Golem Žeden is located in the northern part of the mountain and can be climbed from the villages of Rašče and Raduša. It has a

mountain climate Alpine climate is the typical climate for elevations above the tree line, where trees fail to grow due to cold. This climate is also referred to as a mountain climate or highland climate. Definition There are multiple definitions of alpine cli ...

with heavy snowfall in winter. Vrvot na Žeden is situated in the central part of Mount Žeden and can be climbed from Kopanica and Kopance. It has a

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...

with frequent rain showers and heavy snowfall in winter. Visoka is a peak in the southern part of Mount Žeden and can be climbed from Bojane. It has a continental climate with more rain showers and snowfall in winter. Ušajna is located in the southern part of Mount Žeden and can also be climbed from Bojane. It has a

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

to continental climate with less precipitation compared to the other two peaks of Žeden.

Geology

The geological composition is characterized by massive marbleised

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

formations lying over crystalline

schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock generally derived from fine-grained sedimentary rock, like shale. It shows pronounced ''schistosity'' (named for the rock). This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a l ...

Water

As the name suggests, Žeden is a waterless mountain, but there are several springs at its foothills. The most significant among them is the Rašče Spring, with a discharge of 6 m³/s, which provides water supply to the city of Skopje.''D. Manaković, "Годишен зборник на Филозофскиот факултет" nnual Proceedings of the Faculty of Arts vol. 10, Skopje, 1957''

References

{{reflist Mountains of North Macedonia