Celebrated since ancient times, Mt. Ida in western Turkey possesses almost an ‘embarras de richesses’ in terms of historical associations – home to the gods Zeus and Pan, fought over by Alexander the Great and the Persian emperor Xerxes, visited by St Paul and St Luke, and closely linked to the mythological figures of Paris, Hector, Helen and Achilles. The entire mountain massif is now protected as a National Park, with a network of mule tracks leading through natural forests, olive groves, and meadows brilliant with spring wildflowers, to waterfalls and pools sacred to the naiads.