Mount Ida, also known as Kazdağı in Turkish (pronounced "kaz-dah") and called Ίδα in Greek, is a mountain in the northwest part of Turkey. It is located about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of the ruins of Troy. The mountain lies on the north coast of the Edremit Gulf. It is situated between Balıkesir Province and Çanakkale Province.

Geography

Mount Ida is a mountain area covering about 700 km located north of Edremit. Small villages in the region are connected by footpaths. Water from the area mainly flows south into the Edremit Gulf, also called Edremit Bay, where the coastline is rocky and known as "the Olive Riviera." The Karamenderes River (anciently called Scamander) flows from the opposite side of Mount Ida toward the west. The valley near Kaz Dağları is called "the Vale of Troy" by English speakers. Today, a small part of Mount Ida—2.4 km—is protected by Kaz Dağı National Park, which was established in 1993.

The top of the mountain is windy and has little vegetation, with trees growing at a lower height due to strong winds. The slopes of Mount Ida, which are at the edge of the mild Mediterranean climate and the colder central Anatolian climate, are home to many plant species found only in this area. These plants remained here after the Ice Age. At lower elevations, the climate has become hotter and drier because of deforestation. The dry season lasts from May to October. Annual rainfall averages between 631 and 733 mm. The average yearly temperature is 15.7 degrees Celsius, with daytime temperatures reaching as high as 43.7 degrees Celsius in Edremit. The forests on the upper slopes are mostly made up of Trojan fir (Abies nordmanniana subsp. equi-trojani; some scientists classify this as a separate species, Abies equi-trojani). Common animals in the area include deer, wild boar, and jackal. Wolves, lynx, brown bears, and big cats once lived there but are now gone due to overhunting.

Legend

In ancient Greece, Mount Ida was a place where people worshipped the goddess Cybele. The Romans called her "Magna Mater," which means "Great Mother," or "Magna Mater deorum Idaea," meaning "Great Idaean Mother of the Gods."

The earliest known collection of Sibylline Books, which contained prophecies, was created around the time of Cyrus near Gergis on Mount Ida. These books were said to be written by the Hellespontine Sibyl and were kept in a temple of Apollo at Gergis. Later, the collection moved to Erythrae, where it became known as the oracles of the Erythraean Sibyl. From there, it traveled to Cumae and eventually to Rome.

Mount Ida is famous because of the poet Homer, who wrote about it in his epic poem, the Iliad. The mountain is central to many stories in Greek mythology. For example, in the Iliad, Mount Ida was important to the Trojans because it provided water from rivers and wood for the city. The Trojans also used the mountain for religious rituals. In the Iliad, Zeus was said to have stayed on a peak called Gargarus on Mount Ida for a time.

Idaea was a nymph, the wife of the river god Scamander, and the mother of King Teucer of Troy. The Scamander River flowed from Mount Ida, passed through the plain near Troy, and joined the Hellespont north of the city.

Earlier, on Mount Ida, Ganymede, the son of Tros or Laomedon (both kings of Troy), was taken by Zeus, who appeared as an eagle. Zeus brought Ganymede to be the cupbearer of the Olympian gods.

In The Metamorphoses, the poet Ovid wrote that Hermaphroditus, the child of Hermes and Aphrodite, was raised for fifteen years by the Naids of Mount Ida.

On Mount Ida, the nymphs who were the daughter-spirits of the river Cebrenus lived. One of them, Oenone, had the ability to see the future and heal with herbs. She married Paris, who was a shepherd on the mountain. Paris was the son of Priam, king of Troy, but this was unknown to others. He was left on Mount Ida as a baby because his birth was foretold to bring disaster to Troy. A shepherd found the baby, who had been suckled by a she-bear, and took him in to raise.

When Eris, the goddess of discord, threw the Apple of Discord into the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, three goddesses went to Mount Ida to decide who was the fairest. At a sacred spring on the mountain, Paris chose Aphrodite, who promised him Helen as a reward. This decision angered Hera and Athena, who supported the Greek side in the Trojan War.

Anchises, the father of Aeneas (a Trojan king), was tending sheep on Mount Ida when he was seduced by Aphrodite. Their child, Aeneas, became the ancestor of Rome's Julio-Claudian dynasty.

Mount Ida is the setting for many stories in Homer’s works. The Olympian gods gathered on its summit to watch the Trojan War. Hera, the goddess, was especially powerful on Mount Ida and used her influence to distract Zeus, allowing Poseidon to help the Greeks.

During the Trojan War, Achilles and other Greek leaders destroyed the countryside near Mount Ida and took cattle from Aeneas. Aeneas fled, and Achilles killed the cowherds and Mestor, the son of Priam. This event is mentioned again when Achilles prepares to fight Aeneas during the siege of Troy.

After the Trojan War, Helenus, the only surviving son of Priam, went to live on Mount Ida. He was captured by Neoptolemus. In The Aeneid, a shooting star falls onto Mount Ida after Anchises prayed to Jupiter.

History

During the Bronze Age, the area near the mountain complex had a complex mix of different groups of people. Evidence suggests the following groups likely lived there:

• The Tjeker, who lived in Ayvacık, Çanakkale Province. The Greeks called them the Teucri. They were probably from Crete and may have named the mountain after Mount Ida in Crete.

In historical times, the Persian king Xerxes passed by Mount Ida, as recorded by the ancient historian Herodotus in his work, The Histories, Book VII, Chapter 42.

2019 Controversy

In July 2019, protesters accused the Canadian company Alamos Gold of building a mine near Mount Ida. However, the mine was actually 40 kilometers away from Mount Ida, located in the Biga Mountains and near Balaban Hill. The Republic of Turkey does not allow mining in National Parks, Natural Preserves, Archaeological Sites, or Wildlife Protection Areas. Protesters were upset about the removal of thousands of trees and the plan to use cyanide to extract gold. The Turkish government and the company said the mine would not harm the environment. On July 26, protesters started a group called "Water and Conscience Watch." On August 5, they held a meeting called "Great Water and Conscience Meeting." During this event, protesters entered the mining area and planted trees in front of reporters. People living near Kirazlı village said the protesters were spreading incorrect information. Pictures of the cleared land caused anger on social media. Artist Zülfü Livaneli wrote a letter to UNESCO to protest the damage to the natural environment in the area. In 2021, the mining company filed a legal claim against Turkey for over $1 billion, saying Turkey treated them unfairly.