Chatyr-Dag ( crh, Çatır Dağ, uk, Чатир-Даг, russian: Чатыр-Даг) is a
mountainous massif
In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...
in
Crimea, near the
Simferopol-
Alushta highway. In the
Crimean Tatar language
Crimean Tatar () also called Crimean (), is a Kipchak Turkic language spoken in Crimea and the Crimean Tatar diasporas of Uzbekistan, Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria, as well as small communities in the United States and Canada. It should n ...
''çatır'' means tent and ''dağ'' means mountain.
Overview
The mountain consists of two plateaus: the lower (north) and the upper (south). The lower plateau slopes gently down to its northern side, which is covered in
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, ...
grass. On its southern end (near the steep slope of the higher plateau), the lower plateau is covered with
beech
Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...
forests and
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 ...
glades. It has many hiking trails and several beautiful
caves (listed below). On the east side of the lower plateau there is a grove of
yews.
The upper plateau has the shape of a giant bowl and on its rim; the highest peaks are each named. The upper plateau is covered with
alpine meadow
Alpine tundra is a type of natural region or biome that does not contain trees because it is at high elevation, with an associated harsh climate. As the latitude of a location approaches the poles, the threshold elevation for alpine tundra gets ...
s. Its slopes are very steep and offer some routes for multipitch climbing (
rock climbing
Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically and ...
routes longer than length of one climbing rope). The highest peak is Eklizi-Bourun (1527 m above sea level).
Caves in the Chatyr-Dag massif include:
*
Marble Caves
*
Emine Bair Hosar
Emine is an Arabic-origin given name used for females in Turkey. It has three major meanings: (1) one in whom you can trust and believe, (2) one who is benign and innocuous, and (3) one who is fearless and courageous. It is also argued that the ...
cave
*
Fur-tree cave
*
Obvalnaya cave
*
Vyalova cave
*
Artuch-Koba
*
Vyalova cave system Vyalova Cave (пещера Вялова) is a cave in a lower plateau of the Chatyrdag mountain, Crimea. It also has an 'old' name: Togerik-Alan-Hosar (Тогерик-Алан-Хосар).
The cave has a vertical entrance of depth, which gradually ...
See also
*
Mangup
*
The Valley Of Ghosts
*
Kara Dag Mountain
The Kara Dag ("Black Mount") is a volcanic rock formation which rises to a height of 577 meters between the Crimean coastal town of Koktebel and the Otuzka River valley. It has been the site of a since the early 20th century. Some 2874 ha of co ...
External links
{{Tourist attractions in Crimea
Crimean Mountains
One-thousanders of Ukraine