Crimean Mountains

The Crimean Mountains (Qırım dağları; Кримські гори; Крымские горы; Yayla Dağları) or Yayla Mountains are a range of mountains running parallel to the south-eastern coast of Crimea, between about from the sea. Toward the west, the mountains drop steeply to the Black Sea, and to the east, they change slowly into a steppe landscape. The Crimean Mountains consist of three subranges. The highest is the Main Range, which is subdivided into several yaylas or mountain plateaus (yayla or yaylak is Turkic for "alpine meadow"). They are: Baydar yayla Ai-Petri yayla Yalta yayla Nikita yayla Hurzuf yayla Babugan yayla Chatyr-Dag yayla Dologorukovskaya (Subatkan) yayla Demirci yayla Qarabiy yayla The Crimea's highest peak is the Roman-Kosh (Роман-Кош; Роман-Кош, Roman Qoş) on the Babugan Yayla at . Other important peaks over 1,200 metres include: Demir-Kapu (Демір-Капу, Демир-Капу, Demir Qapı) 1,540 m in the Babugan Yayla; Zeytin-Kosh (Зейтин-Кош; Зейтин-Кош, Zeytün Qoş) 1,537 m in the Babugan Yayla; Kemal-Egerek (Кемаль-Егерек, Кемаль-Эгерек, Kemal Egerek) 1,529 m in the Babugan Yayla; Eklizi-Burun (Еклізі-Бурун, Эклизи-Бурун, Eklizi Burun) 1,527 m in the Chatyrdag Yayla; Lapata (Лапата; Лапата, Lapata) 1,406 m in the Yaltynska Yayla, Yalta Yaylası; Northern Demirji (Північний Демірджі, Северный Демирджи, Şimaliy Demirci) 1,356 m in the Demirci Yayla; Ai-Petri (Ай-Петрі, Ай-Петри, Ay Petri) 1,234 m in the Ay Petri Yaylası. The passes over the Crimean Mountains are: (from east to west) Angarskyi Pass (752m) near Perevalne, on a road from Alushta to Simferopol Okhotnyche (1185m) near Ai-Petri mountain peak, on the road from Yalta to Bakhchysarai Baydar Gate (503m) near Foros, connecting Baydar Valley and the sea coast Laspi Pass (350m) near Cape Aya, on a road from Yalta to Sevastopol. Rivers of the Crimean Mountains include the Alma River, Chernaya River, and Salhir River on the northern slope and Uchan-su River on the southern slope which forms the Uchan-su waterfall, and the highest waterfall in Crimea.