Troodos Mountains
The Troodos range is the largest mountain range in Cyprus. The Troodos mountains stretch across most of the Western side of Cyprus. They contain many famous mountain resorts, Byzantine monastaries and churches.
The mountains offer great hiking and walking opportunities. The main highlight is the Kykkos monastery, that dates back to the 11th century. The highest peak in the Troodos range is Mount Olympus at 1,952 metres (6400ft).
Troodos Mountain Churches
There are nine churches and one monastery in Troodos that are counted among UNESCO's World Heritage Sites and several other monasteries, of which the Kykkos monastery is the richest and most famous. The nine Byzantine churches are:- Stavros tou Ayiasmati
- Panayia tou Araka
- Timiou Stavrou at Pelendri
- Ayios Nikolaos tis Stegis
- Panayia Podithou
- Assinou
- Ayios loannis Lampadistis
- Panayia tou Moutoula
- Archangel Michael at Pedhoulas
Troodos Mountain Geology
The Troodos mountain is known worldwide for its astounding geology and the presence of undisturbed specimens of ophiolite. Troodos slowly rose from the sea due to the collision of the African and European tectonic plates, a process that eventually formed the island of Cyprus.The slowing down and eventual almost stopping of this process left the rock formations near intact, while subsequent erosion uncovered the magma chamber underneath the mountain, allowing a viewing of intact rocks and petrified pillow lava formed millions of years in the past, an excellent example of ophiolite stratigraphy.
Actually, the observations of the Troodos ophiolite by Ian Graham Gass and co-workers was one of the key points that led to the theory of sea floor spreading.
