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Turkey’s Natural Wonder: Ida Mountains
The Ida mountain range is a unique place where the breeze from the sea mixes with the scent of thyme and pine trees, the songs of birds accompany the sound of running waters, and every corner looks like a piece of heaven. The gorgeous nature surrounding these mountains, boasting every shade of blue and green, embraces everyone who needs a break from city life. Beyond inspiring many of the myths from antiquity, the area is also one of the most oxygen-rich regions in the world, letting you take a “deep breath”.
Situated in two cities, Balıkesir and Çanakkale, and extending to blue waters at both edges, the Ida Mountains have been recognized as a “Gift from the Gods” since ancient times. Over the last few years, they have been the preferred destination for those who wish to have a calm and quiet vacation, giving rest to not only their bodies but also their spirit, rest in every possible meaning of the word! Lying to the north of Edremit and extending into the Biga Peninsula (Troad), the Ida mountain range is the second most oxygen-rich location in the world, just after the Alps. When you add the flora showcasing all the shades of green, the ice-cold creeks and the charming village houses into the equation, the result is a dazzling vista!
The Combined Scent of Moss and Pines
Comprised of Dede Mountain in the west, Kaz Mountain in the center, Eybek Mountain in the east, and Gürgen and Kocakatran Mountains in the northeast, the Ida mountain range is an ecotourism haven with its rich nature, canyons, waterfalls, deep valleys and rivers. Mount Ida has three peaks, with Karataş Mountain being the highest at 1,774 meters. The Kazdağı National Park covers an area of 21,452 hectares, where the Edremit Gulf is to the south, Zeytinli Creek to the east, Karamenderes Creek to the north, and Mıhlı Creek to the west of the park. The national park only accounts for 10% of the entire mountain range.
The sweet, fresh air of the Ida Mountains is not only produced by forests but also by the sea. This iodine- and moss-scented air gets vacuumed up the canyons between the hills and accumulates at an altitude of 800 to 1,200 meters. This scented air is at its densest around the Şahin Creek Canyon, which is inside the national park. The canyon acts as a chimney that sucks the pine and thyme-scented air from the Ida Mountains and channels it to the Edremit Gulf and then brings the sea air back to the mountain. In this sense, it acts as a huge oxygen tent.
Declared a national park in 1994, the Ida Mountains host certain types of plants that cannot grow anywhere else due to the geological location of the mountains, as well as high levels of oxygen and moisture traveling to the mountains from the sea. Currently, there are over 800 species of plants, 49 of which are endemic to Anatolia and 31 of which to the national park only. Experts highlight that, from an ecological perspective, the Ida Mountains are as important as the Amazon. In addition to the oak, chestnut, hornbeam, black pine and Turkish pine that grow in the area, the most valuable one is the Abies nordmanniana, a type of fir endemic to the Ida Mountains that reaches a height of 30 meters.
Zeus’ Stop in Anatolia
Mount Kaz, or Mount Ida, as it was called in the ancient times, has been home to countless myths over the centuries. Many civilizations, including the lost civilization of Leleges, and the Trojans, Phrygians and Romans lived in this area, and their legends became synonymous with Mount Ida. Considering the strong relationship between mythology and nature, it is no surprise that this marvel of nature has inspired so many legends.
It is said that Cretan sailors named the mountain after Mount Ida in Crete, where the chief deity Zeus was born. At the entrance of the Adatepe Village, there is an Altar of Zeus on a hilltop, where people presented their offerings to the chief deity for centuries. The altar overlooks the Edremit Gulf, the Küçükkuyu District, and the island of Lesbos. It is also said that Zeus and Hera, chief goddess, got married on Mount Ida.
World’s First Beauty Contest
The first mention of Mount Ida is from the Iliad, written by the famous poet Homer of Smyrna. He describes Mount Ida as “Ida of a thousand springs, mother of wild animals”. Truly, the area is home to many animals, including Roe deer, bears, boars, jackals, hares, hawks and falcons, as well as countless creeks and over thirty streams.
Now, it would be unfair to mention Homer’s Iliad and not talk about one of the most famous battles in world history: the Battle of Troy.
After hearing the prophecy that his son would bring about the downfall of his kingdom, Trojan King Priam abandoned his son Paris on Mount Ida as soon as he was born, but he survived and was nursed by a she-bear. In time, the prince became a handsome, strong and smart young man, and the chief deity Zeus gave him a mission: There was a strong dispute about who among Hera, Athena and Aphrodite were the most beautiful, and Paris, famous for his honesty, was asked to decide on one to end the dispute.
While Paris struggled to choose among these three beautiful women, each goddess made him a promise: Hera promised to make him the king of Asia and the richest man in the world. Athena promised him infinite wisdom and the skills to win any battle in the world. Finally, Aphrodite promised him the love of Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world. Paris chose love over kingship and heroism. This made Aphrodite the first beauty queen in the world. Unfortunately, Helen was married to King Menelaus of Sparta, and the love between Helen and Paris led to the Trojan War and hence, the downfall of the kingdom as it had been prophesied. It is said that Zeus watched this 10-year-long war from his altar on Mount Ida.
The Symbol of Ida Mountains: Sarıkız
Another famous legend of the Ida Mountains is that of Sarıkız. According to the legend, Sarıkız was a sweet little blond girl who lived in a village in the Ayvacık district of Çanakkale. Sarıkız lost her mother when she was young, and her father could not bear to stay in the village full of memories of his late wife, and took her daughter with him to move to the Kavurmacılar Village located at the foothills of Mount Ida. This small family was well-received by the villagers, and the two made a living as shepherds. In time, Sarıkız grew up to be a beautiful young woman. Her father, who was a strong believer, even to the point of being considered a saint by the locals, was really old and wanted to perform his pilgrimage duty. During those days, the trip to Mecca took months, and the old man did not feel comfortable leaving his daughter on her own for such a long time. However, knowing how much this pilgrimage meant to her father, Sarıkız told him that she was old enough to take care of herself and insisted that he left before he got any older. Her father was convinced and asked some of his neighbors to take care of his daughter and set out on his pilgrimage to Mecca. Unfortunately, things did not go as neither Sarıkız nor her father planned. After Sarıkız’s father left, the young men in the village came and asked her hand in marriage one by one, but Sarıkız turned down each one. With great resentment, the young men began spreading rumors about Sarıkız’s chastity. These rumors were so malicious that once the father returned from pilgrimage, no one even respected him enough to say hello. When the father asked his neighbor with whom he had entrusted his daughter why people were acting strange around him, the answer devastated him: Sarıkız was no longer chaste. The tradition required that he killed his daughter. Even though the Haji father believed these rumors, he still loved his daughter and could not dare take her life with his own hands. So, de decided to take his only child with the geese she shepherded to the summit of Mount Ida and leave her to the mercy of wild animals.
A Saint who Comes to the Rescue of Those in Need
Years passed, and a story began to spread in the area: If anyone got lost or could not find a place to stay on the mountain, a beautiful, young blond woman, who shepherded a gaggle, would help them. Moreover, this woman built a house for her geese using rocks in her skirt to stop them from roaming into the villages below and damaging their crop, as the villagers requested her help on this.
Upon hearing this story, Sarıkız’s father, who had been living like a madman, crushed under the weight of his sin, realized that his daughter could still be alive and decided to visit her. When he reached the top of the mountain, he ran into the goose shelter, ruins of which have survived to this day. He eventually found his daughter at the place currently known as the Sarıkız Hill. Sarıkız was delighted to see her father and began showing him respect. The father was in awe, thinking it as a gift from God, and asked for a glass of water to quench his thirst. When he took a sip, he realized that it was salt water. Sarıkız had mistakenly used sea water. She apologized and stretched her arm two kilometers to bring fresh water from a spring. Realizing that her daughter had become a saint, the father lost his mind from regret, could not even bring himself to apologize and wandered off. Later, they found his body in the place known as Baba Hill today. And as for Sarıkız, she got lost in a black fog, and her body was found on the Sarıkız Hill.
The community wanted to pay their respects to Sarıkız and built her a tomb using the flat rocks from the mountain. Since then, the villagers would come to the Sarıkız shrine on the third week of August to pray and present offerings.
Distance of the National Park from Cities
Ankara: 636 km
İstanbul: 381 km
İzmir: 219 km
Balıkesir: 106 km
Distance of the National Park from Districts
Edremit: 19,9 km
Ayvalık: 66,9 km
Burhaniye: 32,4 km
Altınoluk: 33,3 km
Küçükkuyu: 46,7 km