General Geographical Overview of the Korab Mountain and Its (Un)Ex- Plored Peaks, Lakes and Landscapes
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Географски разгледи (52) 91-106 (2019) Geographical Reviews UDK: 551.43.035:911.2(497.77) DOI https://doi.org/10.37658/GR19520091sh GENERAL GEOGRAPHICAL OVERVIEW OF THE KORAB MOUNTAIN AND ITS (UN)EX- PLORED PEAKS, LAKES AND LANDSCAPES Mario SHAREVSKI Mountaineering hiking guide with licence A of FPSM, MA of Geopolitics e-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT Mount Korab is the highest mountain in Macedonia and its natural features abound in extraordinary natural beauties. Due to its relatively remote location and characteristics, it is difficult to access, therefore making it less known although very attractive to the general public. The rapid increase in tourist and mountaineering interest in the last few years, however, highlighted a need for more in-depth studies of Mount Korab, whose data will con- tribute to development of both tourism as well as preserving the wildlife and mountain itself. Based on previous scientific evidence, folklore, history record, and on-site knowledge gained during several expeditions to Mount Korab, this brief article provides and in-depth overview on the location and features of the mountain’s lesser known and explored peaks, lakes, waterfalls, canyons and landscapes. This article also includes typological suggestions for naming each of them. The data and the proposed typology for naming do not call for exclusive- ness but they are intended to serve as basis for further exploration of Mount Korab, both by the general public and the scientific community whose findings will additionally support the development of the tourist offer and economic opportunities of Mount Korab. Key words: Korab, mountain, peaks, lakes, naming. INTRODUCTION Korab is the highest mountain in the Republic of Macedonia, namely it is a high mountain with many distinct geographical-orographic and relief, as well as natural features on which is located the highest peak in the Republic of Macedonia. Due to its specific features and its difficult accessibility, conditioned by a variety of reasons, discussed below in this study, Mount Korab is seldom visited and less known to the general public and to the expert and scientific community, hence certain areas, peaks, lakes, waterfalls, gorges and canyons that are located on Korab are very little or not explored and studied yet, therefore even not represented on geographical and topographic maps and geograph- ical surveys published so far. With the increasing rise of mountaineering and visits to the mountains, including Korab, these places, landscapes, peaks, lakes, and landmarks of mountains whose names are unknown or nonexistent are being discovered, so visitors name them by different names, made up in a variety of ways. The most obvious example of such a "discovery" in recent times is the Korab Waterfall on the Dlaboka Reksa river, which today is one of the most visited sights and mountain- tourist attractions on Mount Korab. Exploring and naming all of these places is useful and necessary for their clear identification as natural-geographical objects and places, expanding the knowledge of their existence, location, and other data and information that, through further expansion and sharing, can be used by scientific researchers for further more detailed study and in-depth research, as well as for support and developing tourism, mountaineering and other industries that would benefit by having 91 M. Sharevski General geographical overview of the Korab mountain and its (un)explored peaks, lakes and landscapes these places at the center of their scope of activities. The rise and the increasing number of visits to the Korab Mountain and its extraordinary attractiveness of its landscape require the designation and study of its peaks, lakes, landscapes and locations to improve the opportunities for its active and safe tourism, hiking and economic exploitation. Given the scarcity of written material data about Korab, the main purpose of this brief article is to review the available data in line with facts acquired on our field visits and surveys, thus to share information about location and features of several lesser known and unnamed peaks, lakes and areas of Mount Korab and make suggestions for their naming, consistent with the traditional local and general Macedonian toponymy and the features of these places. At the same time, the proposals for naming this lesser-known and / or unnamed peaks, lakes, places and areas of Korab, presented and elaborated in this short paper, are not intended to express any exclu- siveness or exclusive right to their permanent and sole naming, on the contrary, they are just sugges- tions as a starting point and a call for the opinion of other expert researchers whose subject area of expertise is geography, geomorphology, hydrography, toponymy, linguistics, history, ethnography in order to develop a broader professional and scientific debate, which will produce and deliver the best and most appropriate solutions and names that will be further used in print maps, promotional materi- als, books, promotional papers for tourist visits and any other visits to these extraordinarily beautiful places. Drawing facts on the insights acquired during our visits on Mount Korab on several occasions in 2015, 2018 and 2019 (for the first time a three-day Mount Korab transverse trekking the ridge from south to north) and considering available written sources this record strives to present general data in order to inform the general public of these places that will be recognized as a subject for further study and research, which will ultimately contribute to an even greater number of visits and recognizing the tourist opportunities of Mount Korab. NATURAL-GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES OF KORAB MOUNTAIN Korab is a high mountain located in the westernmost part of Macedonia, ie it is a mountain that is spread in two countries: Macedonia to the east and Albania to the west, where along its main stretch of the ridge is the Macedonian-Albanian state-border. According to its characteristics, Korab Mountain is a young chain mountain. It belongs to the Shar subgroup of the Dinaric Mountains Group (Dinchev and Atanasov 1998), ie it is part of the Shar-Pind mountain system. In a broader orographic and relief sense, the Korab Mountain Range comprises the three high mountains, extending in a meridian direc- tion from north to south: Korab, Deshat and Krchin. On the Macedonian side they cover an area of 290 km2 (Stojmilov 2011). The boundary between the three mountains that make up the Korab moun- tain massif which stretches from the Sherupa peak in the north to the bottom of the Debar valley in the south is difficult to determine, but for the people living in the foothills of this mountain range the north part has the name Korab, the centra is Deshat and the southern is Krchin (Vasileski 1997). Korab Mountain rises in the northern part of the mountain range from the peak of Sherupa (2092 asl) in the north, to the mountain pass Deshat (1976 asl) in the south in length of 26 kilom (Vasileski 1997, 22). From the top of Sherupa, Korab in the north conjoins Shar Planina, while in the south the mountain range itself continues with Deshat. To the east its sides descend steeply into the Radika valley, and to the west into the Black Drim valley. On the highest parts of Korab, along the main stretch of the ridge lies the Macedonian-Albanian border (Stojmilov 2011, 51). Specifically, the northernmost slopes on the outskirts of the Korab main crest are bounded by the Bustrica River, to the east the Radika River separates the Korab from the southernmost parts of Shara Mountain (Vraca and Nichpur Moun- tain) and Mount Bistra, the southern boundary of Korab River stretches along the stream of Zirovnica River from its confluence in Radika to its sources, it crosses the watershed and the state border 92 Географски разгледи (52) 91-106 (2019) Geographical Reviews through the saddle Desat (1976 m.) which separates it from the mountain of the same name which is its continuation in the massif, after which it crosses Peshkopia down to the river Crn Drim along its course and valley, making up its western boundary (Dincev and Atanasov 1998). The length of Korab by air is about 26 km and its maximum width is 27 km. The total area is approximately 580 km2, of which 210 km2 on the territory of Macedonia, 360 km2 on Albania and a very small part of several square kilom are on Kosovo territory (Dinchev and Atanasov 1998, 22). The stretching direction is meridian from north to south (Vasileski 1997), with a slight deviation to the southwest. The Korab main crest is extended from north to south as a breached line and with minor exceptions it is almost over 2000 m (Dinchev and Atanasov 1998). The mountain range is clearly determined along the entire length, with the north part slightly rounded and the central and southern parts quite sharp and slightly divided (Vasileski 1997). Above the crest of Korab, which is also very clear, sharp and narrow, there are several peaks over 2000 m height and in some places over 2500 m, whereas the highest peak in Macedonia and Albania is situated, Golem Korab which is 2764 m high (in some places 2753 m). Korab is a plateau from which rise few steep cliffs and 16 peaks over 2000 m, including mountain passes Golema Korapska Vrata, Mala Korapska Vrata (so called Korab Gates), Ciganski Premin and Skrtec (Stojmilov 2011). The book and hiking guide "The High Mountains of the Republic of Macedo- nia" states that the entire Korab Mountain has 52 peaks higher than 2000 m (Dinchev and Atanasov 1998, 22). Figure 1: View of the main mountain range of Korab (left) and view of the highest peaks of Korab (right) From Korab Mountain on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia, within the area of the Mavrovo National Park belongs to the eastern mountain side, which is characterized by a rather steep slope, especially in the central and southern part, while in the north it is slightly milder.