East Taurus

The eastern Taurus rises around the upper Euphrates basin and the plains of Malatya. Ridges and deeply cut valleys divide the mountain country from the cultivated lowlands below. South of Malatya, Beydağı is among the prominent heights of the range. Across this varied landscape, routes between Anatolia and the Euphrates must negotiate the mountains before reaching the river valleys and the settlements on their margins.