Eastern Taurus

(Armenian Taurus), mountains in Turkey, located along the southern margin of the Anatolian Plateau and the Armenian Highlands. They are over 600 km long and reach elevations as high as 3,090 m. The Eastern Taurus includes the Ahir, Engizek, Malatya, Ergani, Nuruhak, and Kurtik (Haçreş mountain ranges. It is composed of metamorphic igneous and sedimentary rock (limestone, sandstone) and is cut through by ravines of the Ceyhan, Euphrates, and Tigris rivers. The dry northern slopes have semidesert land in the lower regions and steppes in the upper regions; the more humid southern slopes have maquis underbrush in the lower regions and park-type oak forests, sparse pistachio and juniper forests, highland steppes, and alpine meadows in the upper regions. Railroads and highways run through the passes at Bitlis and Pazarcik.