Mainalo

For the village with the same name, see Mainalo, Arcadia.

Mainalo
A photo taken in the summer of a mountainside of Mainalo. The mountainside is completely covered in a green forest of Greek fir.
Greek fir forest on Mainalo
Highest point
PeakOstrakina or Profitis Ilias
Elevation1,981 m (6,499 ft)[1]
Coordinates37°38′37″N 22°16′47″E / 37.6436°N 22.2797°E / 37.6436; 22.2797
Naming
Etymologyfrom Ancient Greek Μαίναλον (Maínalon)
Native nameΜαίναλο (Greek)
Geography
The location of Mainalo on a blank map of the relief of the Peloponnese, Greece
The location of Mainalo on a blank map of the relief of the Peloponnese, Greece
Mainalo
The mountain is in the middle of the Peloponnese, in Arcadia, Greece
Geology
Mountain typeMount
Climbing
Easiest routeHike

Mainalo (Greek: Μαίναλο, Ancient Greek: Μαίναλος or Μαίναλον, romanized: Mainalos or Mainalon; Latin: Maenalus[2]) is the tallest mountain in the Menalon highlands of the Peloponnese, and is located in Arcadia, Greece. In antiquity, the mountain was especially sacred to Pan.[2]

The mountain's highest point, known as both Profitis Ilias and Ostrakina,[1][3] at a height of 1,981 m (6,499 ft),[1] is the highest point in Arcadia.[4] The mountain has a length of 15 to 20 kilometres (9.3 to 12.4 mi) from southwest of Tripoli to northeast of Vytina, and a width of 5 to 10 kilometres (3.1 to 6.2 mi) from Zygovisti to Kapsas.[4] The mountain is part of a Natura 2000 site, designated in March 2011, covering an area of 226.4 square kilometres (87.4 sq mi).[5] In the 19th and early 20th century, the mountain was known as Apano Chrepa.[6]

The mountain takes its name from the ancient Mount Mainalos, which was however located about 25 kilometers further south near the town of Asea, and has been identified as the same mountain known today as Ágios Ilías. The name was mistakenly connected to the current mounaint Mainalo by early European travelers.[7][8] In Greek mythology, Mount Mainalos got its name from Maenalus, son of Lykaon, king of Arcadia.[9]

Mainalo is home to a ski resort, which is found at an elevation of 1,600 metres (5,200 ft), with 7 ski slopes and 4 lifts,[10] which are at an altitude between 1,550 to 1,770 metres (5,090 to 5,810 ft).[4]

  1. ^ a b c Μαίναλο - Γράφημα των κορυφών του Μαίναλου [Mainalo - Graph of the peaks of Mainalo]. Oreivatein (in Greek). Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  2. ^ a b Public Domain Smith, William, ed. (1857). "Maenalus". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. Vol. 2. London: John Murray. pp. 243–244.
  3. ^ Στην κορυφή Τζελάτη του Μαινάλου [At the Tzelati peak of Mainalo]. hikingexperience.gr (in Greek). 15 October 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  4. ^ a b c "Mainalo". Peloponnese Travel Guide in Greece - Peloponnese.eu. Archived from the original on 14 October 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  5. ^ "OROS MAINALO (GR2520001)". Natura 2000. European Environment Agency. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  6. ^ Orr, James (1915). "Greece; Graecia". International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Vol. II. Chicago: Howard-Severance Co. p. 1296 – via Archive.org.
  7. ^ Forsén, Björn (2020). "Mainalosjuoksu. Tuntemattoman antiikin kisan henkiinherättäminen" (PDF). Helikon. 1: 2–5.
  8. ^ "Arachamitai Project". arachamitaiexcavation.info. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  9. ^ "LYCAON (Lykaon) - Arcadian King of Greek Mythology". www.theoi.com. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  10. ^ "Ostrakina Ski Center - Mainalon". Greek Travel Pages. Retrieved 26 May 2018.