Binboğa Mountains are a mountain range located in Kahramanmaraş Province, southern Turkey. Binboğa Mountains are located at about west of Afşin, within Sarız">Afşin.html" ;"title="west of Afşin">west of Afşin, within Sarız in Kayseri Province, Afşin and Göksun districts in Kahramanmaraş Province, and are oriented in north-south direction. The mountain range stretches over an area of , and has an elevation from up with its peak at . The Kayseri-Kahramanmaraş highway is situated on the west side of the mountain range. The Afşin Plains neighbor to the eastern mountainside. Settlements on the western side are Keklikoluk, Dayıoluk, Ördekli and on the eastern side Yeniyapan, Büyükkızılcık, Binboğa, Türkçayırı.

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

s in the region are Subatan, Evciyurdu, Ebelik and Osmanoğlu, which serve as summer season resort. The general geology of the Binboğa Mountains, which is a part of the Eastern

Taurus Mountains The Taurus Mountains ( Turkish: ''Toros Dağları'' or ''Toroslar'') are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, separating the Mediterranean coastal region from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğirdir ...

, is represented by the

lithology The lithology of a rock unit is a description of its physical characteristics visible at outcrop, in hand or core samples, or with low magnification microscopy. Physical characteristics include colour, texture, grain size, and composition. Lit ...

Carbonate platform A carbonate platform is a sedimentary body which possesses topographic relief, and is composed of autochthonic calcareous deposits. Platform growth is mediated by sessile organisms whose skeletons build up the reef or by organisms (usually microb ...

and Binboğa Mélange formation, which was created when South Neotethys closed off at the end of the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of th ...

period. Hurman and Göksun are two creeks, which spring off the mountain range. In terms of botanic, Binboğa Mountains are habitat of a quite rich vegetation. There are a rich population of

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

flora, such as the

hyacinth Hyacinth or Hyacinthus may refer to: Nature Plants * Hyacinth (plant), genus ''Hyacinthus'' ** ''Hyacinthus orientalis'', common hyacinth * Grape hyacinth, ''Muscari'', a genus of perennial bulbous plants native to Eurasia * Hyacinth bean, ''Labl ...

species, which grow on rocks. Nature and National Parks Directorate of Kahramanmaraş Province recorded 177 endemic flora species on Binboğa Mountains. Main endangered endemic plants of Turkey are '' Allium glumaceum'', ''

Anthemis adonidifolia ''Anthemis'' is a genus of aromatic flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, closely related to ''Chamaemelum'', and like that genus, known by the common name chamomile; some species are also called dog-fennel or mayweed. ''Anthemis'' are nativ ...

'', '' Centaurea haussknechtii'', '' Ferula longipedunculata'', ''

Graellsia davisiana ''Graellsia'' may refer to: *''Graellsia isabellae ''Graellsia isabellae'', the Spanish moon moth, is in the silkmoth family Saturniidae. It is the only species in the monotypic genus ''Graellsia''. The species was first described by Mariano d ...

'', '' Silene balansae'' and '' Verbascum subserratum''. Forests of

Fir Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family (biology), family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North America, North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The ...

(''Abies''), ''

Juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...

'', '' Pinus nigra subsp. pallasian'',

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

(''Quercus'') and mixed coniferous trees cover the mountains. Another main habitat of the mountain range is mountain

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the temperate grasslands, ...

, which has rich vegetation and is important in regard of endemic flora. Intense grazing of rare and endangered plants resulting from

transhumance Transhumance is a type of pastoralism or nomadism, a seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions (''vertical transhumance''), it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and lower vall ...

at the highlands of the mountain range and related

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, starti ...

is seen as a threat.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Binboga Mountains Mountain ranges of Turkey Mediterranean Region, Turkey Landforms of Kayseri Province Landforms of Kahramanmaraş Province Afşin (district)