Mount Nif
Encyclopedia
For other uses of the same name. see Nif
Mount Nif (elevation: 1510 m (4,954 ft)) is a mountain in the district of Kemalpaşa
, towering over the district center (formerly also called Nif), located immediately to the east of the city of İzmir
, in western Turkey
. It was one of the nineteen mountains which carried the name Olympus in ancient times.
Mount Nif's mass is a protrusion in western direction of Bozdağlar mountain chain, which separates the valleys of the rivers Gediz and Küçük Menderes, two principal flows of the region, and of which the Mount Bozdağ
(Mount Tmolus in antiquity), with its elevation exceeding 2000 m (6,562 ft), constitutes the highest peak, as well as being the highest point for the same region of the provinces of İzmir-Aydın
-Manisa
-Uşak
as a whole.
Mount Nif is distinguished from the rest of the mountain chain massif by a narrow but key pass at a locality called Karabel which leads south towards the town of Torbalı
.
Karabel Pass is famous for its Luvian warrior prince monument carved in rock and dated to late-13th century BC, a younger contemporary and an addressee of the Hittite King Tudhaliya IV
. A new reading of its relief inscription, which had been known since the 19th century, was made in 1996 and published in 1998. The monument is called "Eti Baba" (the Hittite father) locally.
A second pass to the north of Mount Nif separates it, or connects it, since it is still at some altitude, from Mount Sipylus
, at the locality called Belkahve. Belkahve is the principal point of access from the east to İzmir metropolitan area and commands an impressive view of a large part of the city. Ankara
-İzmir highway, notably, is checked by its sinuous slopes.
Mount Nif is sometimes cited as "Kemalpaşa Mountain" in reference to the district center, especially in Turkish sources. But the name "Mount Nif", deriving from "Nymphaion
", the name of the region during the Byzantine
period when it was an important and imperial center especially at the time of the Nicaean Empire, is the more common appellation in Turkey as well. This is also the case for the principal stream that crosses the district area, the "River Nif" (Nif Çayı). The district center and the depending administrative area almost invariably go by the name of "Kemalpaşa", with the former name used very rarely nowadays and only colloquially.
NIF
-Localities:* Nif, former name of the town of Kemalpaşa in western Turkey* Mount Nif, near Kemalpaşa* The River Nif in the same region, which joins the Gediz River-Organizations and other abbreviations:...
Mount Nif (elevation: 1510 m (4,954 ft)) is a mountain in the district of Kemalpaşa
Kemalpasa
Kemalpaşa is a large town and the center of the district of the same name in İzmir Province, Turkey. Its district area extends immediately to the east of İzmir's eastern-most metropolitan district, Bornova, and Kemalpaşa town being at a distance of only from the historical and traditional center...
, towering over the district center (formerly also called Nif), located immediately to the east of the city of İzmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
, in western Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. It was one of the nineteen mountains which carried the name Olympus in ancient times.
Mount Nif's mass is a protrusion in western direction of Bozdağlar mountain chain, which separates the valleys of the rivers Gediz and Küçük Menderes, two principal flows of the region, and of which the Mount Bozdağ
Mount Bozdağ
The Mount Bozdağ is a mountain in Greater Caucasus near Mingechevir city, Azerbaijan. Near the mount, where the Kura River flows, Mingachevir reservoir was built in 1953....
(Mount Tmolus in antiquity), with its elevation exceeding 2000 m (6,562 ft), constitutes the highest peak, as well as being the highest point for the same region of the provinces of İzmir-Aydın
Aydin
Aydın is a city in and the seat of Aydın Province in Turkey's Aegean Region. The city is located at the heart of the lower valley of Büyük Menderes River at a commanding position for the region extending from the uplands of the valley down to the seacoast...
-Manisa
Manisa
Manisa is a large city in Turkey's Aegean Region and the administrative seat of Manisa Province.Modern Manisa is a booming center of industry and services, advantaged by its closeness to the international port city and the regional metropolitan center of İzmir and by its fertile hinterland rich in...
-Uşak
Usak
Uşak is a city in the interior part of the Aegean Region of Turkey. The city has a population of 180,414 and is the capital of Uşak Province. The mayor is Ali Erdoğan ....
as a whole.
Mount Nif is distinguished from the rest of the mountain chain massif by a narrow but key pass at a locality called Karabel which leads south towards the town of Torbalı
Torbali
Torbalı is a district of İzmir Province of Turkey.An ancient Ionian city, famous for its wines and religious sites, it has three sancuaries in marble dedicated to the Roman Emperor Augustus and his foster child Germanicus, in an ancient theatre which dominates the valley. Pieces of art found during...
.
Karabel Pass is famous for its Luvian warrior prince monument carved in rock and dated to late-13th century BC, a younger contemporary and an addressee of the Hittite King Tudhaliya IV
Tudhaliya IV
Tudhaliya IV was a king of the Hittite Empire , and the younger son of Hattusili III. He reigned ca. 1237 BCE–1209 BCE. His mother was called Puduhepa...
. A new reading of its relief inscription, which had been known since the 19th century, was made in 1996 and published in 1998. The monument is called "Eti Baba" (the Hittite father) locally.
A second pass to the north of Mount Nif separates it, or connects it, since it is still at some altitude, from Mount Sipylus
Mount Sipylus
Mount Spil , the ancient Mount Sipylus , is a mountain rich in legends and history in Manisa Province, Turkey, in what used to be the heartland of the Lydians and what is now Turkey's Aegean Region....
, at the locality called Belkahve. Belkahve is the principal point of access from the east to İzmir metropolitan area and commands an impressive view of a large part of the city. Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
-İzmir highway, notably, is checked by its sinuous slopes.
Mount Nif is sometimes cited as "Kemalpaşa Mountain" in reference to the district center, especially in Turkish sources. But the name "Mount Nif", deriving from "Nymphaion
Nymphaion
Nýmphaion was a significant centre of the Bosporan Kingdom, situated on the Crimean shore of the Cimmerian Bosporus, about 17 kilometers south of Panticapaeum....
", the name of the region during the Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
period when it was an important and imperial center especially at the time of the Nicaean Empire, is the more common appellation in Turkey as well. This is also the case for the principal stream that crosses the district area, the "River Nif" (Nif Çayı). The district center and the depending administrative area almost invariably go by the name of "Kemalpaşa", with the former name used very rarely nowadays and only colloquially.