Fengari ( el, Φεγγάρι), also known as Saos ( el, Σάος), is the tallest mountain in the Aegean island of

Samothrace Samothrace (also known as Samothraki, el, Σαμοθράκη, ) is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea. It is a municipality within the Evros regional unit of Thrace. The island is long and is in size and has a population of 2,859 (2011 ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...

, with an elevation of .

Etymology

The previous name of the mountain, ''Sáos'', which means ''safe'' is still used in some maps. The current common name, though, is ''Fengari'' or ''Fenghári'', which means ''moon''. According to a local legend, anyone who stands at the top of the mountain during the night of a full moon will see something that they wish for coming true.

History

During

classical antiquity Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations ...

, this mountain was very useful for sailors' navigation, due to its relative height and prominence. In legend,

Poseidon Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a ch ...

watched the

Trojan War In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and ha ...

from the peak.

Access to the summit

The easiest way to access the summit of Fengari is via the northern side of the mountain, from the village of

Therma Therma or Thermē ( grc, Θέρμα, ) was a Greek city founded by Eretrians or Corinthians in late 7th century BC in ancient Mygdonia (which was later incorporated into Macedon), situated at the northeastern extremity of a great gulf of the Aege ...

. Near the summit, the path becomes extremely rocky, and rocks marked by red spray paint to help keep hikers on track. During the summer, this area can contain considerable cloud and mist. On clear days, though, the view from this area includes a large part of the northern

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterran