Nur Mountains
seeing the Nur Mountains in the background.
The Nur Mountains, formerly known as Alma-Dağ, the ancient Amanus, medieval Black Mountain or Arabic Jabal al-Lukkam, is a mountain range in the Hatay Province of south-central Turkey, which starts south of the Taurus Mountains, south of the Ceyhan river, runs roughly parallel to the Gulf of İskenderun and ends in the Mediterranean coast between the Gulf of İskenderun and the Orontes river mouth.
The range has about 100 miles in length and reaches a maximum elevation of and divides the coastal region of Cilicia from Antioch and inland Syria making a natural border between Asia Minor, in the southeast region, and the rest of Southwest Asia. The highest peak is Bozdağ Dağı. A major pass through the mountains known as the Belen Pass is located near the town of Belen. Another pass known as the Amanic Gates lies farther north.
The specific term "Mount Amanus" is referred to by ancient writers. In the Middle Ages, it was called the Black Mountain in Byzantine Greek, Armenian, Syriac and Latin. There were numerous Armenian, Melkite, Jacobite, Georgian, and Catholic monasteries and hermits in the mountains. On account of this, it was called Gâvur Dağ by the Turks. In 1028, the Emperor Romanos III, disturbed by the number of "heretical" monks in the Black Mountain, tried to draft them for his campaign against Aleppo. In 1066, the monasteries were devastated by Afshin Bey. In 1098, the monks gave provisions to the Crusader army besieging Antioch.
