Troodos Mountains

Troodos (sometimes spelled Troödos; Greek: Τρόοδος [ˈtɾooðos]; Turkish: Trodos Dağları) is the largest mountain range in Cyprus, located in roughly the center of the island. Troodos' highest peak is Mount Olympus at 1,952 meters, which hosts four ski slopes. The Troodos mountain range stretches across most of the western side of Cyprus. There are many famous mountain resorts, Byzantine monasteries and churches on mountain peaks, and nestling in its valleys and picturesque mountains are villages clinging to terraced hill slopes. The area has been known since antiquity for its mines, which for centuries supplied copper to the entire Mediterranean. In the Byzantine period it became a great centre of Byzantine art, as churches and monasteries were built in the mountains, away from the threatened coastline.

The mountains are also home to RAF Troodos, a listening post for the NSA and GCHQ.[1]

Geology of Troodos

Picture of a campsite in Troodos in 1900
Kalidonia river.

The Troodos mountains are known worldwide for their geology and the presence of an undisturbed ophiolite sequence, the Troodos Ophiolite. These mountains slowly rose from the sea due to the collision of the African and European tectonic plates, a process that eventually formed the island of Cyprus. The slowing and near-cessation of this process left the rock formations near intact, while subsequent erosion uncovered the magma chamber underneath the mountain, allowing a viewing of intact rocks and petrified pillow lava 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.

Climate

Climate data for Prodromos in Troödos Mountains, elevation: 1380 m (Satellite view)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 6.3
(43.3)		 6.6
(43.9)		 10.3
(50.5)		 15.1
(59.2)		 20.5
(68.9)		 25.0
(77)		 28.1
(82.6)		 27.9
(82.2)		 24.4
(75.9)		 19.6
(67.3)		 12.8
(55)		 8.0
(46.4)		 17.1
(62.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) 3.5
(38.3)		 3.5
(38.3)		 6.6
(43.9)		 10.7
(51.3)		 15.8
(60.4)		 20.1
(68.2)		 23.3
(73.9)		 23.1
(73.6)		 19.6
(67.3)		 15.4
(59.7)		 9.5
(49.1)		 5.3
(41.5)		 13.0
(55.4)
Average low °C (°F) 0.7
(33.3)		 0.3
(32.5)		 2.8
(37)		 6.3
(43.3)		 11.1
(52)		 15.2
(59.4)		 18.4
(65.1)		 18.2
(64.8)		 14.9
(58.8)		 11.3
(52.3)		 6.2
(43.2)		 2.5
(36.5)		 9.0
(48.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 133.4
(5.252)		 123.6
(4.866)		 82.3
(3.24)		 56.9
(2.24)		 26.0
(1.024)		 40.0
(1.575)		 12.1
(0.476)		 10.0
(0.394)		 9.5
(0.374)		 24.0
(0.945)		 102.5
(4.035)		 169.7
(6.681)		 790.1
(31.106)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) 12.4 11.2 9.8 6.7 3.7 2.1 0.7 0.7 1.4 3.5 7.4 11.2 70.7
Mean monthly sunshine hours 130.2 150.8 195.3 231.0 275.9 315.0 328.6 310.0 255.0 220.1 165.0 136.4 2,713.3
Source: Meteorological Service (Cyprus)[2]

Churches

Chapel of the Saint Mary near Klirou village
Panagia Forviothissa in Asinou village

The region is known for its many Byzantine churches and monasteries, richly decorated with murals, of which the Kykkos monastery is the richest and most famous. Nine churches and one monastery in Troodos together form a World Heritage Site, originally inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1985. The nine Byzantine churches are:

Villages of Troodos (selection)

Omodos

See also

References

  1. ↑ Spies in the sky, by Cora Currier and Henrik Moltke, The Intercept_, January 29, 2016
  2. ↑ "Meteorological Service - Climatological and Meteorological Reports".

Coordinates: 34°55′N 32°50′E / 34.917°N 32.833°E / 34.917; 32.833

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