:Crimean Mountains
{{Short description|Mountain range along the southeastern coast of Crimea}}
{{Expand Ukrainian|topic=geo|Кримські гори|date=June 2024}}
{{Expand Russian|topic=geo|Крымские горы|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Crimean Mountains
| other_name =
| photo = Сутінки на схилах Демерджі.jpg
| native_name = {{native name list |tag1=crh|name1=Qırım dağları|tag2=uk|name2=Кримські гори|tag3=ru|name3=Крымские горы}}
| photo_size = 250
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| photo_caption = Twilight on Demirci yayla
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| map_image = Южный Крым.png
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| highest = Roman-Kosh
| location = Southern Crimea
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| elevation_m = 1545
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| coordinates = {{coord|44|36|47|N|34|14|36|E|type:mountain_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline}}
| range_coordinates = {{coord|44|45|N|34|30|E|region:UA_type:mountain|display=title,inline}}
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| age = Cretaceous
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The Crimean Mountains{{efn|{{langx|crh|Qırım dağları}}; {{langx|uk|Кримські гори}}; {{langx|ru|Крымские горы}}; {{langx|tr|Yayla Dağları}}}} or Yayla Mountains /jaɪːlə/, /jeɪːlæ/ are a range of mountains running parallel to the south-eastern coast of Crimea, between about {{convert|8–13|km|mi|frac=2|abbr=off|sp=us}} from the sea. Toward the west, the mountains drop steeply to the Black Sea, and to the east, they change slowly into a steppe landscape.
Subranges
The Crimean Mountains consist of three subranges. The highest is the Main Range, which is subdivided into several yaylas or mountain plateaus (yayla or yaylak is Turkic for "alpine meadow"). They are:
- Baydar yayla
- Ai-Petri yayla
- Yalta yayla
- Nikita yayla
- Gurzuf yayla
- Babugan yayla
- Chatyr-Dag yayla
- Dologorukovskaya (Subatkan) yayla
- Demirci yayla
- Qarabiy yayla
Highest peaks
Crimea's highest peak is the Roman-Kosh on the Babugan Yayla at {{convert|1545|m}}. Other important peaks over 1,200 metres include:
- Demir-Kapu ({{langx|uk|Демір-Капу}}, {{langx|ru|Демир-Капу}}, {{langx|crh|Demir Qapı}}) 1,540 m in the Babugan Yayla;
- Zeytin-Kosh ({{Langx|uk|Зейтин-Кош}}; {{Langx|ru|Зейтин-Кош}}, {{langx|crh|Zeytün Qoş}}) 1,537 m in the Babugan Yayla;
- Kemal-Egerek ({{langx|uk|Кемаль-Егерек}}, {{langx|ru|Кемаль-Эгерек}}, {{langx|crh|Kemal Egerek}}) 1,529 m in the Babugan Yayla;
- Eklizi-Burun ({{langx|uk|Еклізі-Бурун}}, {{langx|ru|Эклизи-Бурун}}, {{langx|crh|Eklizi Burun}}) 1,527 m in the Chatyrdag Yayla;
- Lapata ({{Langx|uk|Лапата}}; {{Langx|ru|Лапата}}, {{langx|crh|Lapata}}) 1,406 m in the Yaltynska Yayla, Yalta Yaylası;
- Northern Demirji ({{langx|uk|Північний Демірджі}}, {{langx|ru|Северный Демирджи}}, {{langx|crh|Şimaliy Demirci}}) 1,356 m in the Demirci Yayla;
- Ai-Petri ({{langx|uk|Ай-Петрі}}, {{langx|ru|Ай-Петри}}, {{langx|crh|Ay Petri}}) 1,234 m in the Ay Petri Yaylası.
Passes and rivers
The passes over the Crimean Mountains are (from east to west):
- Angarskyi Pass (752m) near Perevalne, on a road from Alushta to Simferopol
- Okhotnyche (1185m) near Ai-Petri mountain peak, on the road from Yalta to Bakhchysarai
- Baydar Gate (503m) near Foros, connecting Baydar Valley and the sea coast
- Laspi Pass (350m) near Cape Aya, on a road from Yalta to Sevastopol.
Rivers of the Crimean Mountains include the Alma River, Chernaya River, and Salhir River on the northern slope and Uchan-su River on the southern slope which forms the Uchan-su waterfall, and the highest waterfall in Crimea.
History
Archaeologists have found the earliest anatomically modern humans in Europe in the Crimean Mountains' Buran-Kaya caves. The fossils are 32,000 years old, with the artifacts linked to the Gravettian culture. The fossils have cut marks suggesting a post-mortem defleshing ritual.{{cite journal | title = The Oldest Anatomically Modern Humans from Far Southeast Europe: Direct Dating, Culture and Behavior | first1 = Sandrine | last1= Prat | first2= Stéphane C. | last2= Péan | first3= Laurent | last3= Crépin | first4 =Dorothée G. |last4= Drucker | first5 =Simon J. | last5= Puaud | first6 =Hélène | last6=Valladas | first7= Martina |last7 =Lázničková-Galetová | first8 =Johannes | last8 =van der Plicht | first9= Alexander | last9= Yanevich| journal = PLOS ONE | display-authors = 8 |date = 17 June 2011 | volume = 6 | issue = 6 | pages = e20834 | publisher = plosone | doi = 10.1371/journal.pone.0020834 | pmid = 21698105 | pmc = 3117838 | bibcode = 2011PLoSO...620834P | doi-access = free }}{{cite news | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13846262 | title = Early human fossils unearthed in Ukraine | first = Jennifer | last = Carpenter |date = 20 June 2011 | publisher = BBC | accessdate = 21 June 2011}}
Gallery
Image:Karabi_mountain_plateau.jpg|Qarabiy yayla
Image:Karabi_mountain_plateau2.jpg|Qarabiy yayla
Image:Karabi_mountain_plateau3.jpg|Qarabiy yayla
Image:Chatyr_dag_plateau2.jpg|Mountain plateau of Chatyr-Dag mountain
Image:Crimean mountains.jpg|The Crimean Mountains
See also
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Crimean Mountains}}
- [http://www.mapofukraine.net/crimean_mountains/ Crimean mountains] – view on all parts of mountains of Crimea
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20101027074703/http://ukraine-in-pictures.com/mountains_of_crimea/ Mountains of Crimea] – Great collection of Crimean mountains from private mountain guide Sergey Sorokin
{{Crimea topics}}
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