Taurus Mountains

Although Alanya is on the coast of the Mediterranean, its back rests on Western Taurus. The Taurus Mountains are of essential importance in the life of Alanya people. Going to pasture in the mountains and spending the summer there is a thousand-year’s Turcoman tradition. Up until the last century, the villagers used to leave their villages with the coming of spring and go to pasture. On the plains of the Taurus exceeding thousand meters, the tents made of goat hair were pitched and while on one side flocks were put out the pasture on the other side people makes cheese and butter and weave carpets and rugs. The pasturage culture today exists in the luxurious cottages instead of the tents for people to go there and have a cool weekend holiday. The Taurus holds the unique beauty of the nature with its pine and cedar trees covered by forests, deep valleys, peaks in clouds and rivers coming from peaks. Nowadays both local and foreign tourists commonly visit the pastures; old Turkmen traditions do still exist in these daily picnic areas.