What I can see

Mount Egaleo is the smallest of the mountains of the Athens basin, with a height of only 463m, and is located at the western end of the city. It consists mainly of limestone rocks, which indicates that it probably never had very high amounts of vegetation. It is considered a single mountain range with Mount Poikilo (further north), which is separated by the valley of Dafni at the western entrance of the city, through which the Iera Odos (Holy Road) has passed from antiquity until the present day. Small plateaus form on the mountain, and the view from the top is impressive. One can see the Saronic Gulf, the port of Piraeus, the whole Athens coastline, Salamina island, Eleusis, Thriasio plain, the other mountains around the city, Lake Koumoundourou and of course, the whole city from above.

What I can't see

At the top of Egaleo, Xerxes set up his scene (tent) and throne to watch the Battle of Salamis. When the Persian fleet was defeated, they left in a hurry and abandoned the scene as it was, after which the Athenians used its wood to build a theatrical scene (stage). Thus, the word scene was born in theatre. There are several versions of the name of the mountain. The most prevalent is that of eges (goats) + leos, that is, the people of the goats, from the activity of goat breeders on the mountain. With the arrival of the refugees in 1922 and the deadly winter of 1941, the mountain’s trees were cut down uncontrollably so that the inhabitants could warm themselves. Also, the French company of Drapetsona Fertilizers deposited their waste on the mountain. Some unconfirmed information speaks of scientific studies that have determined the area to have been uninhabitable for at least 1000 years due to rubble and the old landfill. Despite the past ecological disasters (waste, housing pressures, grazing), wildlife has returned to the mountain, along with various herbaceous plants, mammals, birds, insects, beetles and reptiles.

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