Uludağ (the ancient Mysian Olympus) (In Turkish Uludağ means Great Mountain). Located within the border of the Bursa Province . it stands at 2,543 meters high. One of Turkeys favourite winter sports destinations. As well as skiing, its richness of flora and fauna has made it into a National Park and summer activities like trekking and camping are also popular. In colloquial language of Turkey , The Mountain is called Keşiş Dağı (Mountain of Monks). it is said that Homeros used to call Mt. Uludağ as Olympos Misios or Bithynik Olymp. According to the legends, it is said that Trojan wars were watched by the Apollon and the other Greek Gods. In the Roman Empire and hellenic's period, Mt. Uludağ was one of the dwelling-places for the early Christian monks. Mt. Uludağ is the highest mountain of the Marmara Region and it stretches for 40 km from the northwest to the southeast of the Marmara Region. Its highest peak is Kartaltepe at 2543 meters high. To the north, there are high plateaus like Sarıalan, Kirazlıyayla , Kadıyayla , Sobra. The crucial wolfram sources for Turkey are found in Uludağ.

Uludağ National Park Turkey

A mountain of over 2,500m at the highest point in western Anatolia, Uludag is easily ascended by car and even has a cable-car as it is a popular skiing destination. Habitats present ranges from maquis on the lower slopes, through deciduous woodland and beech. Fir forest to alpine meadows at the highest levels. Fairly close to Istanbul this is an ideal site to look for mountain birds like Lammergeier and other vultures, Golden Eagle and more than 20 other raptor species. Other high-altitude species include Alpine Accentor, both rock thrushes and both choughs. The area is also good for eastern specialities such as Isabelline Wheatear, and, at almost the most westerly points of their range, Red-fronted Serin and Krüper's Nuthatch. The dense fir forest holds Short-toed Treecreeper, Common Crossbill and Tengmalm's Owl, a rare and very local bird in Turkey and White-backed Woodpecker has been seen. The rare and local butterfly Parnassius apollo graslini is found on Uludag and the area has much of interest to botanists with colourful pink primroses Primula vulgaris var sibthorpii, Leopardsbane Duronicum orientalis, crocuses, the purple Crocus siberi and yellow C.flavus and grape hyacinths Muscari racemosum. The park is about 22km south of Bursa and signposted from there, take the road just west of Bursa to the ski resort, a long twisting road and it is well worth making a few stops on the way. Uludag has a range of accommodation as it is popular with tourists and winter sports enthusiasts, although some of the hotels may be closed in summer. Bursa is easily reached by road from Istanbul and the accommodation is cheaper in Bursa than Uludag. The easiest way to reach Uludag is the cable-car from Bursa which has an intermediate stop in the alpine meadows of Kadiyayla at about 1000m and ends at Sarialan at about 1630m.