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

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, 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 known as the classical era, classical period, classical age, or simply antiquity, is the period of cultural History of Europe, European history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD comprising the inter ...

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

Poseidon Poseidon (; ) is one of the twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and mythology, presiding over the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 He was the protector of seafarers and the guardian of many Hellenic cit ...

watched the

Trojan War The Trojan War was a legendary conflict in Greek mythology that took place around the twelfth or thirteenth century BC. The war was waged by the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans (Ancient Greece, Greeks) against the city of Troy after Paris (mytho ...

from the peak.

Access to the summit

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

Therma Therma or Thermē (, ) is the unknown city incorporated into the new city of Thessaloniki by the Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedonians on its synoecism and foundation. Little is known of literary Therma, including its exact location. Thessal ...

. Near the summit, the path becomes extremely rocky, and rocks are 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 is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...

and stretches from the

Troad The Troad ( or ; , ''Troáda'') or Troas (; , ''Trōiás'' or , ''Trōïás'') is a historical region in northwestern Anatolia. It corresponds with the Biga Peninsula ( Turkish: ''Biga Yarımadası'') in the Çanakkale Province of modern Tur ...

in the East to

Mount Athos Mount Athos (; ) is a mountain on the Athos peninsula in northeastern Greece directly on the Aegean Sea. It is an important center of Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox monasticism. The mountain and most of the Athos peninsula are governed ...

in the West.

Environment

Due its height and the diversity of its climate, many very interesting and rare plant species can be found on Fengari. On its cliffs and gorges, for example, '' Polygonum icaricum'' can be found; the species only grows in Samothrace and in

Icaria Ikaria, also spelled Icaria (; ), is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea, 10 nautical miles (19 km) southwest of Samos. Administratively, Ikaria forms a separate municipality within the Ikaria regional unit, which is part of the North Ae ...

. Several subspecies of '' Potentilla montana'' also grow near the top of the mountain. In addition, the mountain contains a very rich and diverse variety of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

life. Other plants endemic to Mount Fengari include ''

Alyssum ''Alyssum'' is a genus of over a hundred species of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae, native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean region. The genus comprises annual plant, annu ...

degenianum'', '' Symphyandra samothracica'', ''

Herniaria ''Herniaria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae known generally as ruptureworts. They are native to Eurasia and Africa but several species have been widely introduced to other continents. These are flat, mat-forming ann ...

degenii'', and ''

Potentilla ''Potentilla'' is a genus containing over 500 species of Annual plant, annual, Biennial plant, biennial and Perennial plant, perennial herbaceous plant, herbaceous flowering plants in the rose family (biology), family, Rosaceae. Potentillas m ...

geoides''.

References

External links