| Mount Yamanlar | |
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 View of the Gulf of İzmir from Mount Yamanlar |
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| Elevation | 1,076 metres (3,530 ft), see section |
| Location | Yamanlar village, Karşıyaka, İzmir, Turkey |
| Type | Shield volcano |
Mount Yamanlar (Turkish: Yamanlar Dağı) is a mountain in İzmir, Turkey, located within the boundaries of the Greater Metropolitan Area of the city.
Easily accessible from Izmir, Yamanlar is a popular excursion spot for the inhabitants of the city. It is served by a steep, well maintained road. A village of the same name as the mountain (Yamanlar) is found on its slopes, on the road to the summit. The village administratively depends on İzmir's metropolitan district of Karşıyaka and is at a distance of 20 km (12 mi) from Karşıyaka center.
The summit commands an expansive view of the Gulf of İzmir from the northeast and there are amenities such as bungalows for visitors. A crater lake called "Karagöl" (meaning "Black Lake" in Turkish) is located near the summit, and is usually associated with the accounts surrounding Tantalus, the region's first known ruler. Because of this the lake's name is sometimes also called by his name.
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Mountain
The mountain is an extinct volcano. Although it is geologically separate from the neighboring mass of Mount Sipylus (Spil Dağı), their flora, fauna and history have very much in common, and the two mountains have sometimes been viewed as extensions of each other.
History
Mount Yamanlar was the location of the first recorded settlement which controlled the Gulf of İzmir circa 1440 BC, founded by Tantalus and possibly named "Naulochon", deriving its wealth from the mines of the region.
On the steep southeastern slopes of the mountain, there is a "Tomb of Tantalus" dating from this very early period in Anatolian history. This tomb was explored by Charles Texier in 1835, while other schools place Tantalus's tomb, as well as the lake associated with his story, to other localities found on Mount Sipylus. The first location of Smyrna (Old Smyrna) was also at the foot of Mount Yamanlar on what was at the time a small peninsula.
Recent past
The same Bayraklı slopes was also where landslides caused by flash floods that had occurred on 3–4 November 1995 had claimed at least 61 lives in the slum-type residences that had mushroomed at the time in the area, and had caused material damage exceeding 50 million US Dollars [1]. Incidents of a similar nature occurred also in autumn 2001 adding five more casualties to İzmir's toll of disaster victims. A better planned and managed urbanization along the silted slopes of the mountain, by preserving its historic heritage at the same time, is an ongoing concern for the city as a whole.
Footnotes
- ^ Ali Mümran Kömüşçü (1998-07). "Analysis of Meteorological and Terrain Features Leading to the Izmir Flash Flood, 3–4 November 1995" (in English). Natural Hazards, Springer Netherlands, Volume 18, Number I. http://www.springerlink.com/content/g53572758t67l581.
Resources
- Ahmet Kıvanç Kutluca, Semahat Özdemir (2006-12-24). "Landslide, Earthquake & Flood Hazard Risks of Izmir Metropolitan City, A Case: Altindag Landslide Areas" (in English). WASET (World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology), Volume 24. http://www.waset.org/journals/waset/v24/v24-32.pdf.
Books
- Ekrem Akurgal (2002) (in English). Ancient Civilizations and Ruins of Turkey: From Prehistoric Times Until the End of the Roman Empire ISBN 0710307764. Kegan Paul.
- Cecil John Cadoux (1938) (in English). Ancient Smyrna: A History of the City from the Earliest Times to 324 A.D..
Blackwell Publishing . - George E. Bean (1967) (in English). Aegean Turkey: An archaeological guide ISBN 978-0510032005. Ernest Benn, London.
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Settlements in Karşıyaka District, İzmir, Turkey |  |
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Municipalities: Karşıyaka |
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