Troodos or Trodos is the largest

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have aris ...

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

, located in roughly the center of the island. Its highest peak is

Mount Olympus Mount Olympus (, , ) is an extensive massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia, between the regional units of Larissa (regional unit), Larissa and Pieria (regional ...

also known in Greek as at . Covering a third of Cyprus's area, the Troodos mountain range stretches across most of the western side of Cyprus. The mountains form a significant

rainshadow A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side. Evaporated moisture from bodies of water (such as oceans and large lakes) is car ...

on the island. There are many

mountain resort A mountain resort is a place to holiday or vacation located in an elevated and typically at least relatively isolated area. The term resort implies integral hotel or inn accommodations, restaurants, and either or both sports facilities or sceni ...

s, Byzantine monasteries, and churches on mountain peaks, and, nestling in its valleys and mountains, villages which cling to terraced hills. The area has been known since antiquity for its mines, which for centuries supplied

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

to the entire Mediterranean. In the Byzantine period it became a centre of Byzantine art, as churches and monasteries were built in the mountains, away from the threatened coastline. The mountains are home to Troodos Station, a listening post for both the American

National Security Agency The National Security Agency (NSA) is an intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the director of national intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collection, and proces ...

and the British

GCHQ Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) is an intelligence and security organisation responsible for providing signals intelligence (SIGINT) and information assurance (IA) to the government and armed forces of the United Kingdom. Primar ...

. The name ''Troodos'' probably comes from one of two sources: either + ( + ), referring to the three roads that lead to the mountain, or + + ( + + ), meaning the mountains of

Adonis In Greek mythology, Adonis (; ) was the mortal lover of the goddesses Aphrodite and Persephone. He was considered to be the ideal of male beauty in classical antiquity. The myth goes that Adonis was gored by a wild boar during a hunting trip ...

. It has many endemic

plants Plants are the eukaryotes that form the kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with cyanobacteria to produce sugars f ...

and

animals Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia (). With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, have myocytes and are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and grow from a ...

, including the endemic Cyprus cedar.

Geology

The Troodos Mountains are known for the presence of an undisturbed

ophiolite An ophiolite is a section of Earth's oceanic crust and the underlying upper mantle (Earth), upper mantle that has been uplifted and exposed, and often emplaced onto continental crustal rocks. The Greek word ὄφις, ''ophis'' (''snake'') is ...

sequence, the Troodos Ophiolite. These mountains slowly rose from the sea due to the collision of the African and European

tectonic plates Plate tectonics (, ) is the scientific theory that the Earth's lithosphere comprises a number of large tectonic plates, which have been slowly moving since 3–4 billion years ago. The model builds on the concept of , an idea developed durin ...

, a process that eventually formed the island of Cyprus. The slowing and near-cessation of this process left the rock formations nearly intact, while subsequent erosion uncovered the

magma chamber A magma chamber is a large pool of liquid rock beneath the surface of the Earth. The molten rock, or magma, in such a chamber is less dense than the surrounding country rock, which produces buoyant forces on the magma that tend to drive it u ...

underneath the mountain, allowing a viewing of intact rocks and petrified

pillow lava Pillow lavas are lavas that contain characteristic pillow-shaped structures that are attributed to the extrusion of the lava underwater, or ''subaqueous extrusion''. Pillow lavas in volcanic rock are characterized by thick sequences of discontinu ...

formed millions of years ago, an excellent example of ophiolite stratigraphy. The observations of the Troodos ophiolite by Ian Graham Gass and co-workers was one of the key points that led to the theory of

sea floor spreading Seafloor spreading, or seafloor spread, is a process that occurs at mid-ocean ridges, where new oceanic crust is formed through volcanic activity and then gradually moves away from the ridge. History of study Earlier theories by Alfred Wegener ...

. A detailed descriptive geological survey of Troodos was published in 1959.Wilson, R.A.M. The Geology of the Xeros-Troodos Area: Geological Survey Department, cyprus, Memoir No. 1. Nicosia, Cyprus: Government of Cyprus, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, 1959, reprinted 1971. This document predates the modern theory of

plate tectonics Plate tectonics (, ) is the scientific theory that the Earth's lithosphere comprises a number of large tectonic plates, which have been slowly moving since 3–4 billion years ago. The model builds on the concept of , an idea developed durin ...

, but contains exhaustive descriptions of rocks and structures.

Climate

Like the rest of Cyprus, the climate is

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 ...

but with somewhat greater diurnal ranges in temperature than coastal locations. For example, at Prodromos, daily mean temperatures are around in January and in July.

Flora and fauna

The most ubiquitous trees in the Troodos mountains are the

Turkish pine ''Pinus brutia'', commonly known as the Turkish pine and Calabrian pine, is a species of pine native to the eastern Mediterranean region. The bulk of its range is in Turkey, but certain varieties are naturalized as far east as Afghanistan. It is ...

(''Pinus brutia'') and the golden oak (''Quercus alnifolia''). Some plants of the ''

Olea ''Olea'' ( ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Oleaceae. It includes 12 species native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Middle East, southern Europe, Africa, southern Asia, and Australasia. They are evergreen trees and s ...

'', ''

Rhus Sumac or sumach ( , )—not to be confused with poison sumac—is any of the roughly 35 species of flowering plants in the genus ''Rhus'' (and related genera) of the cashew and mango tree family, Anacardiaceae. However, it is '' Rhus coriaria' ...

'' and ''

Rosa Rosa or De Rosa may refer to: Plants and animals * ''Rosa'' (plant), the genus of roses * Rosa (sea otter), a sea otter that has become popular on the internet * Rosa (cow), a Spanish-born cow People * Rosa (given name) * Rosa (surname) * San ...

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

populate the mountains, in particular '' Crataegus azarolus'', ''

Crataegus monogyna ''Crataegus monogyna'', known as common hawthorn, whitethorn, one-seed hawthorn, or single-seeded hawthorn, is a species of flowering plant in the rose family, Rosaceae. It grows to about tall, producing plant sexuality, hermaphrodite flowers i ...

'', ''

Rhus coriaria ''Rhus coriaria'', commonly called Sicilian sumac, tanner's sumach, or elm-leaved sumach, is a deciduous shrub to small tree in the cashew family Anacardiaceae. It is native to southern Europe and western Asia. The dried fruits are used as a sp ...

'' and ''

Rosa canina ''Rosa canina'', the dog rose, is a variable climbing, wild rose species native to Europe, northwest Africa, and western Asia. Description The dog rose is a deciduous shrub normally ranging in height from , though it can scramble higher into the ...

''.

At higher altitudes, Anatolian black pine-dominated forests (''Pinus nigra'' ssp. ''Pallasiana'') grow, with several ''Juniperus'' species ('' J. excelsa'', '' J. foetidissima'' and '' J. oxycedrus''). The common whitebeam (''Sorbus aria'') also grows, along with the endemic shrubs '' Rosa chionistrae'' and '' Berberis cretica''. The Cyprus cedar (''Cedrus libani'' subsp. ''brevifolia'') is seen at the highest peaks. Chief among the fauna is the endangered

Cyprus mouflon The Cyprus mouflon (''Ovis orientalis ophion''), also known as Cypriot mouflon, is an endangered subspecies of mouflon endemic only to Cyprus in the mountains of Paphos District. It is the largest animal on the island, a meter tall (at the shoul ...

(''Ovis gmelini ophion''). The venomous Cypriot blunt-nosed viper (''Macrovipera lebentinus lebentinus'') is present in the mountains, as well as a bird population including the

common raven The common raven or northern raven (''Corvus corax'') is a large all-black passerine bird. It is the most widely distributed of all Corvidae, corvids, found across the Northern Hemisphere. There are 11 accepted subspecies with little variatio ...

(''Corvus corax''),

Bonelli's eagle Bonelli's eagle (''Aquila fasciata'') is a large bird of prey. The common name of the bird commemorates the Italian ornithologist and collector Franco Andrea Bonelli. Bonelli is credited with gathering the type specimen, most likely from an expl ...

(''Hieraaetus fasciatus''),

Red crossbill The red crossbill or common crossbill (''Loxia curvirostra'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. Crossbills have distinctive mandibles, crossed at the tips, which enable them to extract seeds from conifer cones and other ...

(''Loxia curvirostra'') and the Eurasian griffon vulture (''Gyps fulvus'').

Churches

The region is known for its many Byzantine churches and monasteries, richly decorated with murals, of which the

Kykkos monastery Kykkos Monastery ( or [] for short, ), which lies 20 km west of Pedoulas, is one of the wealthiest and best-known monastery, monasteries in Cyprus. The Holy Monastery of the Virgin of Kykkos was founded around the end of the 11th century by ...

is the richest and most famous. Nine churches and one monastery in Troodos together form a

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

, originally inscribed on the

World Heritage List World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

in 1985. The nine

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

churches are: * Stavros tou Agiasmati * Panagia tou Araka * Timiou Stavrou at Pelendri * Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis * Panagia Podithou * Assinou * Agios Ioannis Lampadistis at Kalopanagiotis * Panagia tou Moutoula * Archangel Michael at Pedoulas * Transfiguration of the Saviour Palaichori File:Stavros Agiasmati.JPG, Church in spring

Selected villages

* Agros *

Agios Epifanios Oreinis Agios Epifanios () is a village in the Nicosia District of Cyprus, located 5 km southwest of Klirou. History The village of Agios Epifanios was initially created by the unification of ostracized groups that moved during the critical perio ...

* Arsos * Dora *

Evrychou Evrychou (, ) is a village in Cyprus. It is located in the Nicosia District and the agricultural centre of the "Solea" region located about 50 km south-west of Nicosia and 30 km from Troodos Mountains. Geography and climate Evrychou i ...

Farmakas Farmakas () is a village in the Nicosia District of Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation ar ...

Fikardou Fikardou () is an old settlement that has retained its traditional medieval characteristics. It is situated on the south eastern slopes of the Troodos Mountains, approximately 40 km southwest of Nicosia. The village today is almost deserted. ...

Galata Galata is the former name of the Karaköy neighbourhood in Istanbul, which is located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn. The district is connected to the historic Fatih district by several bridges that cross the Golden Horn, most nota ...

Kakopetria Kakopetria is a town in Cyprus located southwest of the capital, Nicosia, on the north-facing foothills of the Troodos Mountains. It stands at an altitude of 667 metres and it is the highest village in the Solea Valley. The community has about 1 ...

* Kalopanagiotis * Koilani * Kouka *

Kourdali Spilia () is a small village in the Nicosia District of Cyprus, located near Kyperounta Kyperounta () is a town in Cyprus. It lies at an altitude of 1,140 meters. With a population in approximately 1,500 it can be called the head-town of Pitsil ...

Kyperounta Kyperounta () is a town in Cyprus. It lies at an altitude of 1,140 meters. With a population in approximately 1,500 it can be called the head-town of Pitsilia. The town took its name from the plant ''Cyperus rotundus'' (kyperos). Kyperounda was es ...

Lania Lania may refer to: * Łania, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland * Laneia, a village in Cyprus * "-lania", a suffix used in taxonomy. {{geodis ...

* Louvaras * Malia * Marathassa Valley *

Moutoullas Moutoullas ( [], ) is a mountain village in the Nicosia District of Cyprus, at an elevation of in Marathasa Valley. In 2011, it had a population of 174. The old village church, the 13th-century chapel of ''Panayia tou Moutoulla'', is one of the ...

* Omodos *

Pachna Pachna (Pakhna, Πάχνα) is a village in the Limassol District of the Republic of Cyprus. It is situated on the south slopes of the Troödos Mountains, Troödos mountain range at an altitude of 745 m (2447 ft). The name Pachna is t ...

Palaichori Oreinis Palaichori Oreinis () is a village located in the Nicosia District of Cyprus on the E 903 road. The village stands at an altitude of 930 m. Palaichori Oreinis is separated by Palaichori Morphou by the Serrache River. The two villages are know ...

Pedoulas Pedoulas () is a village in the Nicosia District of Cyprus, located at an altitude of in the Troodos Mountains, 4 km south of Moutoullas. It lies in the Marathasa Valley. The name is derived from the words ''pediada'' (valley) and ''laos' ...

Pelendri Pelendri (, ) is a village in the Limassol District of Cyprus. Location Pelendri is located below the Troodos Mountains, in the region of Pitsilia. It is located on a barren hillside, at an altitude of 800 meters above sea level, 40 kilometers ...

Phini Foini (, sometimes also spelled ''Phini''), is a village in the Troödos Mountains of Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identi ...

Platres Platres () or Pano Platres (; ; English: ''Upper Platres''), is a Μountainous village in Cyprus. It is located on the southern slopes of the Troodos Mountains and is one of the wine villages (, ''krasochoria''). Platres is the largest Troodos res ...

* Prastio * Prodromos * Spilia * Vasa Koilaniou

Gallery

File:Troodos Mountains (Cyprus).jpg, Troodos Mountains File:Lazanias.JPG, Lazanias village File:Pinus nigra Troodos.jpg, Troodos black pines are 3,000 years old File:Cedars Tripylos.JPG, Forests in Troodos Mountains File:Pinus brutia forest Cyprus.jpg, ''

Pinus brutia ''Pinus brutia'', commonly known as the Turkish pine and Calabrian pine, is a species of pine native to the eastern Mediterranean region. The bulk of its range is in Turkey, but certain varieties are naturalized as far east as Afghanistan. It is ...

'', foothills of Troodos Mountains File:Troodos12.jpg, River tributary in Troodos File:PARAKENTRO 2.jpg, Parakentro is a non-profit cultural centre in Lemythou village File:Millomeris Waterfall - Καταρράκτης του Μιλλομέρη.JPG, Millomeris Waterfall, Platres File:Milia Bridge - Γεφύρι της Μηλιάς.JPG, Milia Bridge, Platres File:TzielefosBridgeCyprusMar152023 02.jpg, Tzielefos bridge File:StatueArchbishopMakariosIIINikosKotziamanisMar162023 04.jpg, The statue of

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Makarios III Makarios III (born Michael Christodoulou Mouskos; 13 August 1913 – 3 August 1977) was a Greek Cypriots, Greek Cypriot prelate and politician who served as Archbishop of the Church of Cyprus from 1950 to 1977 and as the first president o ...

near the

Kykkos Monastery Kykkos Monastery ( or [] for short, ), which lies 20 km west of Pedoulas, is one of the wealthiest and best-known monastery, monasteries in Cyprus. The Holy Monastery of the Virgin of Kykkos was founded around the end of the 11th century by ...

File:OmodosMar152023 02.jpg, Omodos File:Kalidonia Waterfall.JPG, Kalidonia Waterfall, Platres File:Troodos Mountains 2.JPG, Part of Troodos Mountains File:Farmakas Mountains, Cyprus.jpg, View of

region File:Prodromos in Winter.jpg, Prodromos in winter File:Road through the woods (15425086000).jpg, Road through the forest File:Troodos Mountains 1957.jpg, Troodos Mountains in 1957

Notes

References

External links

Official Website of Troodos Region, by the Cyprus Tourism Organisation

Panoramic virtual tour of the Troodos Mountains

{{Authority control Cyprus Mediterranean forests Mountain ranges of Cyprus Troodos Mountains Mountains associated with Byzantine monasticism Adonis