THE LAND: Ancient Pontus

  Not very long ago on the geological time scale, the Anatolian landmass started a slow and inexorable movement to the north. An old, flat continent, part of which now forms southern Russia, stood in its path; it caved in and sank under the pressure. The waters of the Mediterranean rushed in over the Thracian Peninsula to fill up the void, forming the great inland se a known as the Black Sea-the Pontus Euxinus of ancients.

A massive line of mountains-the Pontic Alps of Turkey's northern coast-sprang up along the line of impact, forming a natural wall that defines the southern rim of the sea.
The tectonic history accounts for several unusual features of the sea and the lands that surround it. The Black Sea is a geographical extension of the broad flatlands of eastern Europe, fully exposed on its smooth, gently sloping northern (Balkan and Russian) side, where the Danube, the Dnicpr and the Don bring in the waters of the enormously wide and wet east European basin. This excess of water
creates a surface layer of very low salinity and a strong outflow through the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles-the narrow straits which connect the Black Sea with the Mediterranean. Underneath this thin upper layer flushed out through the straits, the antediluvian waters of the Black Sea lie undisturbed: they are saturated with the noxious gases produced by the disintegration of the flora of archaic times. and are
so salty that few forms of life subsist in them below a depth of 200 meters (650 feet).
Above the surface, northerly and westerly winds predominate. They sweep over the sea, gathering moisture along the way until intercepted by the great natural barrier of the Pontic Mountains. That is where they deposit their load. The northern coast is bright and sunny; Odessa and Yalta are quasi-Mediterranean sea resorts. The south, by contrast, is more easily compared with the shores of America's Pacific Northwest or southwestern Norway. The mountains are almost permanently cloudy and receive immense amounts of rain. Climate shapes the environment: nature runs amok; waterfalls and wild streams burst out of every clearing in the forest; fence poles take root and sprout leaves.

The Pontic Alps are young mountains, born at the same time as their European namesakes, with contours that have not yet settled into the placidity of geological middle age. They rise straight from the seabed at a depth of over 2000 meters to an average height of 3000 meters within a short distance inland. They increase in height and steepness in the east, where they press against the Caucasus Massif in the north. At the eastern edge, the permanently
snow-capped peaks of the Tatos-Kaçkar Range soar to an altitude just short of 4000 meters. The "elbow" formed between them and the Caucasus enjoys the climate of a natural greenhouse. Temperatures are moderate, but vegetation takes on the character of a subtropical rain forest, with wild undergrowth, giant creepers and mossy beards hanging from majestic trees. Warm climate products like tea, citrus fruit and bananas grow in abundance.
This landscape is radically different from the sun-drenched maquis and arid steppe that one usually associates with the rest of Turkey. Except for the relatively
low middle section around Samsun. the Pontic Alps rarely allow the humid winds to penetrate the Anatolian landmass and deliver the rain that would otherwise green the interior. This is most strikingly observed at any one of the eight road passes that cross the mountains east of Samsun at altitudes of 2000 to 2600 meters each. At the very top, the scenery changes abruptly from one of lush abun¬dance into one more easily associated with the wastelands of Inner Asia. This sudden transition constitutes one of the most memorable images of any Black Sea Journey.

The transition also works in another
way: just as the mountains block the humid winds of the north, so throughout the ages they have acted as a barrier against the historical currents that affected the lands to the south. While classical civilization flourished in the Mediterranean basin and great cultures rose and fell in the Anatolian interior, the Black Sea coast remained mostly untouched-an isolated and unique region with its own separate history and distinct amalgam of people.

For more info: Black Sea, Colchis, serander, Eastern Black Sea houses, Greek Penetration of the Black Sea, Hemsin folk architecture, Maçka and Sumela monastery travel