Mount Karadağ 2.21

Karadağ is an extinct volcano in Karaman Province, Turkey.GeographyThe crater of the volcano, which is now a lava plain, is approximately 25km north of Karaman at at 1610m AMSL. The peak of the mountain is 2.25km east of this plain at an elevation of 2271m. Since the average elevation of the Karaman plains is about 1010m, the height of the peak with respect to surrounding area is more than 1200m.The shape of the mountain is roughly conical with a base diameter of 15km.HistoryThe slopes of the volcano have always been inhabited. In fact, Çatalhöyük (ca 7500 BC), 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. 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 (Thousand and One Churches). However, after Christianity was well established in big cities, the settlements on the mountain lost their religious importance.