Mount Karadağ


Karadağ is an extinct volcano in Karaman Province, Turkey.

Geography

The crater of the volcano, which is now a lava plain, is approximately north of Karaman at at AMSL. The peak of the mountain is east of this plain at an elevation of. Since the average elevation of the Karaman plains is about, the height of the peak with respect to surrounding area is more than. Upto a century ago there was a volcanic crater lake in the mountain which has since dried up.
The shape of the mountain is roughly conical with a base diameter of .

History

The slopes of the volcano have always been inhabited. In fact, Çatalhöyük, one of the earliest neolithic settlements in Anatolia, is located at the north-west of the volcano, and there are Hittite inscriptions on the hills at the south-east of the mountain. The mountain was called Boratinon in late antiquity. Ancient Derbe, which is one of the towns Paul the Apostle had visited, is situated on the east slopes of the mountain. During the early ages of Christianity, the towns on the mountain were religious centers. There are ruins of early Byzantine settlements all around the mountain and the region is called Binbirkilise. However, after Christianity was well established in big cities, the settlements on the mountain lost their religious importance.