Tekkedağı Nature Park

About

Tekkedağı Nature Park is a 100-hectare area in the Beypazarı district of Ankara that was converted from a recreation area into a nature park on 11 July 2011. Surrounded by black pine forests, it is bounded to the north by the southern slopes of Tekkedağ and Dededağ Tepesi, to the east by Suluceviz Pınarı and Çamlı Çeşmesi, to the west by Gökçepınar Çeşmesi and to the south by the road to Tekke Yaylası. A 13 km road via Alparslan Türkeş Bulvarı links it to central Beypazarı; the villages of Karacaören and Kuyumcutekke lie to the north and south. Besides black pine plantations, there are junipers, deciduous shrubs, rocky ground and meadows; cedar, hawthorn, wild pear, barberry, dog rose, milkvetch and prickly thrift are among the species present. Roe deer, red deer, lynx, wolf and brown bear live in the area, and it is part of the range, and probably a nesting site, of the near-threatened cinereous vulture and the endangered Egyptian vulture. The park has picnic areas, toilets, an open-air event space, a rain shelter, an arbour and a children's play area; visitors can picnic, walk, run, cycle, take in the views and observe plants and wildlife.