home Bait The mystery of the stone heads on the nemrut dag mountain. Turkish "Olympus" - stone heads of the gods Nemrut Dag

The mystery of the stone heads on the nemrut dag mountain. Turkish "Olympus" - stone heads of the gods Nemrut Dag

Nemrut Bey is a Turkish port located in the northeastern part of the Aegean Sea. Russian river - sea class vessels often call at this port. Scrap metal is brought here, steel reinforcement is taken out. Steel mills are located next to the port. But there are no residential buildings near the port and near these factories. The workers are brought to the port in good Mercedes buses. Loaders in clean light robes get out of the buses. When unloading scrap metal, dust "stands in a pillar", a roar. Factories are smoking. Therefore, there is no housing nearby. The shift has ended at the loaders, they are changing into a clean one and on a clean bus home.
The motor ship "Sormovsky" is in the port, unloading scrap metal. The crew, free from watches, sits in their cabins, there is nowhere to go, it is forbidden to swim in the port, the banks near the port are dirty, and you can run into a piece of iron. You can't call a taxi, it's a pity for money, and you don't know where to go. The captain decided to walk around the port. I reached the end of the berths, then a hill covered with bushes. I went along the path. The path winds among the hills. Behind the first pea, an olive grove, or a garden, opened up. It can be seen that the trees grow in a certain order, in rows. Plucked an olive, tasted it - bitterness. I climbed to the top of the next mountain and saw a town in the distance. I decided to go to him - to see. Interestingly, I was in this port several times, but I saw residential buildings here for the first time. It is three or four kilometers from the port to the town, but this town is not visible behind the hills. The town is very clean, or rather not a town, but in our village. Various animals come across on the paths and nearby on the grass: cows, sheep, goats, and, of course, chickens, geese, ducks. Garbage is nowhere to be seen; some houses have closed garbage containers and waste bins.
Men are sitting in a cafe on the square, drinking tea, talking, playing backgammon. There are no liquor or beer bottles in sight. I went to the store to see
what they trade and what prices. Maybe we can order fresh fruits and vegetables for the ship. I tried to communicate with the seller in English, and he began to answer in broken Russian. It turned out that many Yugoslavs from Macedonia live in this village. How they got here - did not become interested. Basically, people leave their homes not from a good life. Food prices were higher than those of the ship chandlers supplying the ship. I asked about the prices for alcohol. The price was several times higher than in the Istanbul roadstead. The seller explained this as follows:
- Alcohol is not in demand here, no one buys it, so the price is the same. We do not import beer either, no one takes it.
Here's a local feature. I left the store and went for a walk. Literally a few meters from the store they sell vegetables, such a small mini market. Inquired about the prices, they turned out to be quite acceptable. In addition, it is clear that they sell vegetables that they themselves have grown. And since they were grown for themselves, then maybe they contain less nitrates than those of large producers. I ordered fruits and vegetables for the crew, they promised to bring them in a few hours. The captain still has time, he went along the path to the sea. At the end of the village there is an equipped sea beach. Benches, changing cabins, toilet. A young man rakes the sand and collects the rubbish. There are few swimmers. Nearby, women swim in long light trousers, light shirts and headscarves, and right there in normal swimsuits. Men in bathing shorts. The captain regretted not taking his swimming trunks with him. It's hot, I would also like to swim. But it's time to get back to the ship. They promised to bring food. I went back the same way. In the hollow between the hills, several turtles were caught next to the path. I took one with me. Let him live in the cabin, all some kind of entertainment. Brought to the ship. He gave her a corner in the cabin, made a box, brought stones and herbs. I wanted to put a basin of water, but changed my mind. How will she get into it? And if you put her in this basin, she will not get out of it. In any team there are always people who know everything, at least it seems so to them, such an expert suggested that this is a land turtle and needs water only for drinking. They put a saucer of drinking water.
We finished cargo work and received fruits and vegetables ordered in the village. The sellers did not disappoint, they kept their word and did not take money for delivery.
Cargo - steel reinforcement went to the port of Azov. At night they came to
the Strait of Dardanelles. The passage of all difficult sections is carried out only under the command of the captain. The captain gets up from the sofa in his cabin to go to the bridge, and in the dark steps on the turtle. I almost fell and twisted my leg. And after that, every time you had to go somewhere, you had to carefully look at your step. This brought some inconvenience to the captain's life.
Often you have to walk around the cabin in the dark without light, and here this turtle is under
feet. What to do with it? I decided to wait for the next call at Nemrut-Bay
and return the turtle to its native place.
In Azov, they unloaded the cargo, and went for loading to Rostov-on-Don. We arrived at the port of Rostov on Sunday and anchored the ship while waiting for loading.
After lunch, the boat approached the board, the fire inspector arrived with a check. Climbed aboard. Three women and a few children remained on the deck of the boat:
- My wife with children and girlfriends decided to ride with me, - explains the inspector.
- So let them go aboard, they will look at the ship, - the captain invites.
- No, don't. Children will still fall off somewhere. It is interesting for them to get out on the boat.
The inspector checked the vessel, documentation, fire-fighting equipment.
As always, I made a few minor comments. You can't, you can't see the work without them. It's time for the inspector to leave, but he is slowing down,
drinking. The captain knows what the matter is, the inspector cannot just leave, it was not in vain that he went to work on the weekend. But he has nothing to give. There are no souvenirs, the call was only at Nemrut - Bey, and there was nothing to take, they didn't even buy alcohol. And then the inspector comes across a box with a turtle. Interested in:
- What is it, where is it from?
The captain explained where he took it and offers:
- And, if you want, take it yourself, you will please the kids. - And gives the turtle along with the box to the inspector.
- Well, I don't know, I have to ask my wife and the kids.
- So, ask.
The inspector takes the turtle, goes on deck and shows it to his wife and children. The children are immediately delighted. They even squealed with joy. So the issue with the gift was resolved to the satisfaction of both parties.
The boat moved away from the side and the senior mechanic, who was directly involved in the inspector's check, remarked with a grin:
- Alekseevich, that greyhound puppies began to buy off the controllers?

In the southeastern part of Turkey, somewhere in the middle between the major cities of Malatya and Adiyaman, there is one place that is quite rarely visited by both civilian tourists and independent travelers. Meanwhile, this natural and historical attraction deserves (in my opinion) a must visit - and if you suddenly find yourself in those parts, I strongly recommend that you make at least a one-day excursion there.

The place is called Nemrut Dagi National Park, or simply Nemrut. And the mesmerizing peak of the mountain of the same name not only rises above the surroundings at a height of 2,150 meters, but also hides in itself unique monuments carved from stone by ancient architects more than 2,000 years ago.

When I got to the provincial capital, the large city of Adiyaman, the first thing I did was to visit the local tourist information office, where I learned about this main local attraction. After asking in detail about the national park itself and the ways to get to it (and at the same time taking a break from the rather tangible heat, which reigned even at the end of October in southern Turkey), I soon found myself on the highway and moved towards the intended goal.

On the very first typewriter, I got to the intermediate stop - the town of Kyakhta, and there I stopped a Ford minibus stuffed with wooden crates with large green apples. Behind the wheel was a young guy, about my age, named Mehmet, who turned out to be a very agile and enterprising businessman. He had his own department store, such as our "walking distance" in his native village, and he was also engaged in buying apple crops from nearby small farmers, in connection with which he dangled in his van through remote and not very mountainous villages.

In general, this cheerful and very talkative Mehmet offered to be in his house for a few days, but with one condition: I will have to help by making a contribution in his difficult apple business. I, of course, agreed: firstly, his village Narince was located not far from Nemrut Park, and it would be very convenient to use it as a base for a one-day trip to the mountain; and, secondly, it was very interesting for me to plunge into the ordinary rural life of a Turkish village for at least a few days and to visit with Mehmet in remote mountain villages, where civilized tourists do not get.

However, I will colorfully describe how we ran the "apple business in Turkish" somehow in a separate story, and here I will tell you about the day when I made a sortie to Mount Nemrut.

In an early sunny morning, having stocked up with a small supply of provisions and a bottle of water, I, with a small "city" backpack on my shoulders, got out to the outskirts of Narince. Nearby, sheep bleated together, a small herd of which the local shepherd drove out of the outskirts, to the nearest pasture. The morning hitchhiking was, although thin, but good: after 10 minutes I was picked up by a car, which quickly drove me to the desired fork. Here the main road (along with the flow of cars) went to the right, but I got a joker in the form of a dull, albeit asphalted road leading in the direction national park.

It is clear that such a specific route did not abound in hitchhiking (yes, I did not really count on this and set myself up for a pleasant walk in advance), and therefore I sipped some water and cheerfully moved forward, admiring the wonderful surrounding views. And there was so much to see!

The road runs far into the distance ...

And on the sides flows its own leisurely rural life

The sun generously flooded the rocky ground with its hot rays, the road led forward and upward in winding loops, and all around were grasshoppers cracking and the blowing wind sang in their ears and ruffled a T-shirt. There were almost no passing cars, nevertheless a couple of times I was caught up with tractors, which I successfully stopped and drove several kilometers ahead, at the same time giving rest to my legs.

Future restaurant for tourists. So far, only the phase of the foundation and the construction of the walls.

I was very glad to see this sign! The supply of water in a bottle is not endless, but here we managed to replenish them.
At the same time I had a snack than God sent.

And now the first, easier segment of the path is over. I'm at the entrance to myself National park Nemrut. As you can see, visiting the park is not free, and a solid checkpoint with a barrier has been built at the entrance, which contains several ticket checkers. Travel certificates and spelling of teeth do not work on them (checked), however, the amount "for the repair of the Failure" is small, and the lira spent is repeatedly paid off by the impressions received.

Leave conversations aside! Onward and upward, and there ...

From above, the traversed road looks like a thread winding in a narrow gorge

Beautiful far away

There is about 7 kilometers of a rather steep ascent from the entrance checkpoint to the upper platform, which can be overcome quite quickly by car. I was in no hurry, walked calmly, stopping for small halts and photographing the surrounding beauties.

True, the higher and further I climbed, the colder and windier it became. Even the bright sun could no longer overcome the strong, angry and piercing gusts of the mountain wind. In stock, I had only a light windbreaker, which I hurried to pull on. It got warmer, but just that not much - however, it is natural that the cold did not force me to retreat, and I slowly but surely moved forward.

And so, behind the next turn, a flat upper pre-peak plateau with security houses, a small hotel and several souvenir shops opened up. The second leg of the journey was left behind.

All that remained was to make the last dash and overcome several hundred steps carved into the stone, leading somewhere far up ... What is there ahead?

A Knight at a Crossroads. Where to go, where to go? He tossed a coin ... and chose the ascent to the right, to the East Terrace.

In 1881, Karl Sester, a road engineer from Germany hired by the Ottoman authorities to assess the possibilities of laying new transport routes, was amazed to find this mysterious place at the top of the mountain. The discovery of the German engineer became a sensation in scientific circles, and in the next 100 years, 6 serious expeditions of researchers from different countries visited it. What amazed them so?

At the top of Mount Nemrut, almost 2200 meters high, King Antiochus I, who ruled the state of Commagene during the Roman Empire, from 69th to 34th BC, built an unusual monument. It follows from the discovered inscription that this monument was supposed to remind descendants of his own glory and the glory of the gods. The ruler himself was of Greco-Persian origin and ruled a completely prosperous and rather extensive independent kingdom, living off trade with Syria and Persia.

Mountain peaks in many mythologies are the abode of the gods. King Antiochus I, who considered himself a descendant of the great Persian king Darius, turned Mount Nemrut into a site for huge statues of the gods - and put himself on a par with them. At the top of the mountain there is a burial mound formed from a pile of stones. On the western and eastern sides, it is guarded by two lions, two eagles and many statues up to nine meters high (!).

These statues represent seated Hercules, Zeus and Oromasdes (he is related to the Persian god Ahuramazda), Tyche (the Greek goddess of Fate), Apollo Mithra and Antiochus himself. Their heads, as a result of several earthquakes, fell off over the centuries, and a lot of debris is scattered all around.

Gallery of ancient gods and mythical heroes

On both sides of the mound, which is 49 meters high and about 150 meters in diameter, there are identical figures. The statues on the eastern side of the terrace are better preserved; they were not cut out of one solid stone, but composed of separate stone layers. On huge heads, Greek facial features are juxtaposed with Persian head decorations and hairstyles.

At the very top, the wind was whistling, just piercing to the bones (despite the hot and sunny weather), and with such force that you could just lie down on it with your chest, like on a down pillow. In my thin clothes, for a few minutes I froze so that my teeth knocked out some devilish beat, and my numb fingers shook and trembled so much that even just fixing the device and pressing the shutter button was very difficult ...

But such wonderful views became a reward for the difficulties of climbing:

It seems that Antiochus had no doubt that he was one of the immortals: a well-preserved bas-relief of the eastern terrace shows him shaking hands with Apollo, Zeus and Hercules.

Of particular interest is the stone slab, which depicts a lion under the starry sky. The arrangement of the stars and planets - Jupiter, Mercury and Mars - repeats the special arrangement of the stars, which was observed by astronomers on July 7, 62 BC. e. The exact meaning of this date is not known, but it is assumed that this is the day of the beginning of construction on Mount Nemrut.

There is also an altar on the eastern side of the burial mound. Most likely, earlier both terraces were connected by a walled road and it was possible to approach it through the mountain path laid below. In all likelihood, this area was regularly used for religious ceremonies.

Walking around both terraces, capturing all these extraordinary masterpieces of ancient sculptors and architects, and making a body shaking from the cold something like the "dance of St. Vitus", I galloped back up the steps. "Rather, rather down, to the warmth and the sun!" - a single thought throbbed greedily in a well-ventilated head ...

Oh, how nice it is to return along the already familiar road back, when the legs run down by themselves - into the green valleys, and the mind is pleasantly caressed by the thought of another successful overcoming of oneself and a bright saturated day ...

In addition to the beautiful views, the way back surprised me twice more.
First - with an amazing joke of Turkish road builders called "assemble a road puzzle" ...

And then an unexpected meeting on the sidelines with such a brilliant representative of the local fauna. The snake lay on the edge of the road, not moving - apparently, it was crumpled in the hot sun. I did not disturb her, remembering the sad fate of Julia Stoner and Grimsby Roylott, but only cautiously approached and photographed the beauty:

Beauties at sunset

When I got to the intersection from where I started my walking trip to Nemrut in the morning, the last rays of the sun caressed the tops of the surrounding hills, and darkness was rapidly approaching the valleys. Quickly and successfully braking the garbage truck, in 15 minutes I flew with a cheerful mustachioed driver to "my" village and to Mehmet's place. Behind the back were 30 km of track and "full pockets" of impressions.

The visit to the Minotaur on Mount Nemrut was successfully completed.

That's all. Then allow me to take my leave.

Useful information on getting there (from Vinsky's forum):

There are 2 ways to get to Nemrut:

1. From the south - Adiyaman or Kahta to the village of Karadut, from there 12 km to the top.
The plus of this road - in addition to the mountain, you can see other preserved sights of Kommagene - Karakush with the Eagle Column, the Roman bridge, Asrameya, the summer capital of Kommagene.
Minus - the main way to get there is by bus (Kayseri 6 hours, Istanbul about 20 hours), with a lack of time it takes a long time.
2.From the north - Malatya. Malatya is touted by the Turks as the world capital of the apricot, and there is an apricot festival in July. The rest of the time there are almost no tourists, only those heading to Nemrut. The center has a tourist information office and they organize trips http://www.malatyakulturturizm.gov.tr/

At an altitude of 2,134 meters above sea level, on the top of Mount Nemrut Dag, there is one of the most impressive and equally mysterious sights of Turkey - the sanctuary of the ancient gods of the Komagene kingdom. This archaeological site is one of the most ambitious structures of the Hellenistic period.

Now Mount Nemrut or Nemrut Dag (Turkish Nemrut Dağı) is located in the southeast of modern Turkey in the Taurus Mountains, 40 km north of Kakhta, near Adiyaman. Not to be confused with the Nemrut-Dag volcano (also located in Turkey). And in the 2-1 centuries BC, Mount Nemrut was located on the territory of the small kingdom of Kommagene.

The independent Kingdom of Commagene was born during the collapse of the empire of Alexander the Great. The Commagens bordered the Seleucid Empire on one side and the Parthian Empire on the other. In 80 BC, when the Seleucid Empire became weaker, the governor of Commagene declared the independence of his kingdom. Soon after, the Roman ally Mithridates I Kalinikos proclaimed himself king, establishing a short dynasty of rulers of Commagene.

Tumulus Nemrut Mountains in 2000 (Başgelen, 2000)

Mithridates I died in 64 BC. BC, on the throne of Kommagene he was replaced by his son - Antiochus I Theos and ruled for 26 years. Antiochus I of the Armenian Ervandid dynasty, had Persian and Greek roots, and claimed to be a descendant of the great kings Darius and Alexander the Great. He proclaimed himself equal to the gods, and perhaps, in order to consolidate this statement in the minds of his subjects, he ordered to build a grandiose sanctuary on the top of Nemrut Dag, which has no analogues in the world, where the statue depicting Antiochus I was on equal terms among the statues of other gods of the Commagene kingdom.

After the death of Antiochus I, during the frequent changes of power by the puppet rulers of Rome, the sanctuary was forgotten. The next mention of Mount Nemrut and the sanctuary at its top corresponds to the times of the Crusades in Asia Minor. Crusaders discovered Nemrut Dagi and the sanctuary, but with their departure from the coast Mediterranean Sea, Mount Nemrud was once again consigned to oblivion.

Statues and their bases found on the east terrace (Humann and Puchstein, 1890, V.2, Group 24)

At the time of its discovery in 1881 by German scientists, the sanctuary on the top of the mountain was known only to local shepherds. Due to the inaccessibility and difficult climatic conditions, the first expedition was not able to study this place in detail. And only in 1953 German and American archaeologists investigated Nemrut Dag. For five seasons, they cleared and studied the dilapidated sanctuary of the Commagene kingdom. You can read more about the stages of exploring Mount Nemrut.

The dilapidated sanctuary of the Kingdom of Commagene on Mount Nemrut Photo: Martin Gray

The origins of the kings of Commagene, which can be traced through two sets of legends, Greek and Persian, testify to the dual origins of the culture of this kingdom. The sanctuary was built following the principles of syncretism inherent in the culture and religion of Kommagen. Syncretism is especially evident in the mixture of Greek, Persian and Anatolian aesthetics in the sculptures and bas-reliefs of Mount Nemrut.

Cone-shaped stone mound and heads of statues of Nemrut Dag

The dominant structure of the hierothesis (sacred site) is a cone-shaped mound, towering 50 meters, and 150 meters in diameter at the base. The mound is made up of countless small, fist-sized chunks of white limestone. According to one of the versions, the mound may be the burial place of Antiochus I. But this version has no reliable confirmation, as well as the actual refutation. All attempts to get inside the mound and find the tomb of the king have so far been unsuccessful. And the purpose of this large-scale structure is still a mystery.

Plan of the sanctuary of Mount Nemrut

On three sides of the mound, right in the rock of Nemrud, terraces are carved - north, west and east. The northern terrace has suffered the most from time to time, practically not preserving its former grandeur. The east terrace contains a large platform, five colossal statues, a pyramidal fire altar, and the remains of several walls. The statues of Mount Nemrut, each 8-10 meters high, amaze with their grandeur even now. The figures are made of massive blocks of limestone and depict the four ancient gods of the Kommagene kingdom, and the ruler of Commagene, Antiochus I. On either side of the statues of the gods there were statues of a lion and an eagle - the guardians of the sanctuary.

Stone heads of statues of ancient gods.

A feature of the Nemrut Dag pantheon is that all the gods are depicted sitting on thrones, and not standing, as was customary in Hellenistic culture. Eastern religion generally prohibits statues depicting gods. The faces of the statues are made in the Hellenistic style, but the sculptures of all the gods, including the statue of Zeus, and Antiochus I himself, bear high Persian tiaras (headdress) on their heads. The inscription at the statues reads - "Here is the home of the Gods, and here are their heavenly thrones."

Head of the statue of Antiochus I Theos

The statues of the ancient gods Nemrut Dag represent:

Antiochus I Theos
Tyche - she is Fortune - the goddess of fate, luck and chance
Zeus - aka Oromazdes (Ahura Mazda)
Apollo - aka Mithra - Helios - Hermes
Hercules - aka Artagn - Ares

Head of the statue of the goddess Tyche - Fortune

Head of the statue of the god Zeus - Oromasdes - Ahuramazda

Another mystery of the Mount Nemrut sanctuary is that not a single sculpture of the gods managed to keep their heads on their shoulders. The first expedition of archaeologists in 1881 discovered only one statue with a head - it was a sculpture of the goddess Tyche, but later she lost her head as a result of an earthquake. The heads of the rest of the statues were found at their foot. After clearing the territory, archaeologists installed them on the site in front of the sculptures.

Head of the statue of the god Apollo

There is no reliable evidence of how the statues lost their heads. According to one version, the sculptures of the sanctuary could have been destroyed by the soldiers who seized these territories. According to another version, the sculptures were destroyed by the impact of earthquakes, which are quite frequent in this region. But thanks to the virtual reconstruction of LSInc, we can imagine what the pantheon of the Commagene gods looked like in its original form.

Friends, today you will read and see a place that simply captivated us at first sight. I noticed one strange thing that if a place has any strong energy, that is, in fact, it is a place of power, then we get there very easily, and sometimes literally in a miraculous way. The inaccessibility to the mountain with the large stone heads of the gods called Nemrut Dag and our way there, became another proof of this. Trust me, you won't regret it either when you learn more about this place.

“Wonderful” hitchhiking to Nemrut Dag.

And we continue to walk along the main street of Adiyaman, and at the same time try our luck to catch a car that will take us at least to the edge of the city. Yes, Turkey is so harsh that you can even hitchhike around the city, 20 minutes later we were sitting in a small truck that drove us to the exit.

For some reason, all the Turks who give us a lift think that we have nowhere to rush. Of course, we have nowhere to rush, but this does not mean that we will sit in the car and wait for the driver to sleep, because he is tired after long hours of work, and then he will take us to Nemrut. This is exactly what the owner of the truck decided when we drove out of town. Having kindly sent him ... to sleep, we went further along the highway.

In the direction of Nemrut Dag, the traffic was, to put it mildly, meager, so we were very happy when another truck decided to give us a lift, however, already completely packed with Kurdish children and women. It seems that they did not come true, and the Kurds are no worse than the Turks in terms of their desire to help. An empty seat was found only in the back, from where two boys, who had not climbed into the cab, looked at us fearfully, and whimpered with cow waste. In such a romantic atmosphere, we covered 40 km while standing, while there was still about 20 to the goal.

I did not expect that the first wave of my hand would stop a passenger car in front of us, completely stuffed with bags, some of which even rested on the back of the driver's head. Only one front seat was free, it was there that Mila and I pushed together with our backpacks out of despair. To be honest, I don't know how we could fit in there, thank God, it didn't take long to go, otherwise I would have remained bent four times :).

We landed exactly at the turn up the mountain, there is still 13 km ahead and an absolutely deserted road. I didn't even know if there were any villages ahead so that local transport could pick us up. There was absolutely no point in going on foot, especially when you consider that the heads are on a mountain with a height of 2,100 meters, which means that at night it is absolutely not hot there and did not want to spend the night there. Then we sit down by the road and wait.

An hour passed and not a single car. Mila and I were already beginning to doubt that there was anything on wheels at all, when suddenly a minibus appeared from around the corner. We jumped to our feet and waved our hands. The car stopped, the driver immediately understood where we needed to and, without further ado, put us in the cabin.

We thought that he would take us to at least the nearest village, but in the end we stopped right at the ticket office before going up the mountain. And, apparently, it was not yet the final stop, so we just paid 9 liras (180 rubles) per person. Who knew that the driver would actually turn out to be one of the builders who are now ennobling Nemrut Dag for tourists ?! That's right, we were taken directly to the mountain, which reminded me personally of a real pyramid. I will not claim that this is it, but when you see the remains of the gods, I think you will also doubt.

Ruined sculptures of the gods of the Turkish "Olympus".

We left our backpacks with the Kurdish workers to make it easier to study the area. We were even told they would find a place to sleep if needed. Mila, after the annoying Turks and fairy tales about the Kurds, was not at all eager to agree to this proposal.

Work here was in full swing, a concrete staircase was built right up to the mountain, carrying materials on donkeys along a side path. The staircase had not yet been completed, so we crossed the stones for the rest of the way.

When I saw the first head, everything inside me stopped with admiration. With every step, a whole platform opened before my eyes, on which giant sculptures used to stand. Mila, as always, just flew upstairs, although below she could barely move her legs from the heat and weight behind her back.

From the mountain, a stunning view of the hills and mountains opened up for many kilometers into the distance. They say that the Olympian gods lived in Greece, but at that moment it seemed to me for a moment that this very Olympus was here.

Probably it is worth looking into the history of the origin of this place.

The origin story of Nemrut Dag.

Once there was a small state called Commagene, and was ruled by King Antiochus from a dynasty of Greco-Persian origin. On the maternal side, the vain tsar was a descendant of the famous Alexander the Great. And the pride of the king was so strong that in the end he declared himself God, after which he decided, so as not to be unfounded, to recreate his personality in art along with the pantheon of the Gods already existing at that time.

Antiochus was generous in erecting mount Nemrud sanctuaries for the gods, inviting the best workers and sculptors of the time. Construction began in 62 BC, and three terraces were built, on the topmost of which were placed figures of the gods, guarded by statues of eagles and lions.

When, finally, the construction was completed by the order of the king, a paved road was laid out to the mountain 2000 meters high. All the people had to climb along it and hold services at the statues twice a month. Tired travelers were greeted by a huge inscription: "I, Antiochus, erected this temple to glorify myself and my gods."

It is not known how long this lasted, only after the death of the king, the subjects buried his ashes on the top, erecting a fifty-meter marble pyramid over his tomb.

After that, the sanctuary was forgotten. Only occasionally, from numerous earthquakes, the crumbling massive figures of the gods puzzled the lost travelers, until in 1953 the stone heads were found by a group of American geologists.

But, and that's not all, on the other side of the pyramidal mountain, on which for some reason a heap of small stones was poured, I found copies of exactly the same heads and dilapidated sculptures. And right in front of them is a large platform, more like seat for a helicopter.

Now take a closer look at these two photographs, these are the heads from different sides of the mountain of the same “god” (presumably the king Antiochus himself) .... your opinion?

Did you also think that the sculptures on the reverse side are smaller and “handicraft”? This is exactly what it really is.

My opinion is this: during the heyday of the N-th empire, half-ruined sculptures left by more ancient civilizations were accidentally discovered. The find amazed the ruler so much that he summoned his best sculptors who tried to repeat the ideality of the lines and proportions of the “gods”, but as you can see, the task turned out to be unbearable, but completed.

I even climbed the very peak of the "pyramid". Apparently, I was not the first, as I found the remains of candles and other ritual accessories. By the way, the platform here is flat, and if you believe some historical sources, then at the very top of the pyramid there should be a silver cone.

Despite the fact that the place is not much promoted and not completed, there are enough tourists here, mostly independent travelers by personal transport. One of these turned out to be the French, who arrived here in a camper. By the way, I saw him on the lower levels of the mountain, probably the guys decided to spend the night here, lucky ones!

With the French, we exchanged a few words in English and found out where they had already been and what else could be interesting to see. I was interested in the settlement called, but we will tell about this in due time.

With 17 Kurds in one car.

I don’t know how long we spent on the “Olympic” mountain, but when we went down to get our things, the sun began to decline. I was also of the opinion that spending the night with a girl in the company of some men was not the best idea. So we got our things and headed for the road, hoping for some car with the returning tourists.

The workers' day at the builders was also coming to an end, and a couple of Kurdish guys, seeing us, asked where we were going. We said that we would go out, then they offered us a ride, but first it would be nice to have dinner. We were taken to a working trailer, treated to local soup and lemonade, and then they put us in the very car in which we arrived. Only now in the salon, besides us, there were 17 more guys and all the Kurds. Unlike the Turks, which we really liked, the Kurds did not stare at Mila at all, but rather, on the contrary, they sat us down so that she would feel as comfortable as possible in this crowd.

The guys not only took us to the highway, but also agreed with one of the workers who was driving towards the city of Siverek to pick us up, where part of the way had to be overcome by ferry. But, even he did not take us to the ferry, but a minibus, yes, with ordinary passengers, only we went for free. True, at the exit, one of the passengers began to demand payment, he never understood the people who were trying to get money from us, while not being the driver of the car we were driving. In general, I sent this comrade away when we were on the shore.

The ferry was supposed to arrive in an hour, which did not please us too much, since it would be time to look for a lodging for the night, and if we spend time on the crossing, we will have to pitch our tent in the dark. Okay, the ferry will wait until tomorrow, let's go look for a parking spot. This garden is perfect, and the river is nearby, so you can wash your hair in the morning.

panoramas are clickable

Actually, we went on a trip to Eastern Turkey for this very place. A year earlier, while traveling in Georgia, we were at the observatory in Abastumani and our astronomer guide Givi Kimeridze caught a glimpse of a picture of giant statues on the mountain against the background of the starry sky. Said: It's in Turkey, a nice place... An old photo so stuck in my head that when I arrived, I found Mount Nemrut in Google and now we were going to visit it.

You can get to Nerutu from Malatya or from Adiyaman by taking a dolmush ticket to Kahta (Kyakhta). There we decided to spend the night in a hotel, the name of which, luckily for them, I don’t remember. They called to their place, as to the best and cheapest hotel in the city, however, in fact it turned out to be a rather creepy and dirty bedbug, while a cozy and cheap teachers house was located 200 meters away. By the way, teachers house is kind of like hotels for civil servants. Ordinary tourists can also stay there. Slightly more expensive, but still very cheap. At the same time, the level of the hotel is quite 3 stars. But we only met them in eastern Turkey. If anyone knows in more detail - tell me, pliz. In general, we doubted for a long time whether to stay in our terrible hotel, then we spat, threw our things, went out, saw the hotel better and returned exactly 10 minutes later with the aim of checking out. It seems, of course, that we are not a fountain which is consistent, but the administrator at the reception threw us a form of tantrum, demanding to pay per day for two, because he has losses because of us. Yeah, losses. We arrived at 10pm and canceled 10 minutes after checking in without even checking in. In general, there was a terrible and lengthy scene, as a result of which we checked out, the administrator yelled that we would not be accepted in any hotel in the city, we went to the teachers house, but they didn’t let us there, saying that the owner of the hotel had connections , he forbids taking his clients and they will have troubles with the measure, tk. the administrator just called. As a result, two lovely Turkish teachers saved us by sending us to a third hotel that was not involved in the swara.

In the morning we went up the mountain. Nemrut-Dag (Nemrut, Nemrud, tur. Nemrut Dağ or Nemrut Dağı, Greek Όρος Νεμρούτ, Armenian Նեմրութ լեռ, Pers. کوه نمرود, Kurd. Çiyayê Nemrûd) - a mountain in the southeast of Turkey in the mountains and Tavleam ... Height is 2150 meters above sea level. In 62 BC. BC, the king of Commagene Antiochus I Theos of the Armenian dynasty Ervandov built a tomb on the top of Mount Nemrut - a sanctuary surrounded by huge statues 8 - 9 meters high. The center of the tomb is a mound of small stones on the top of the mountain, 49.8 meters high and 150 meters wide at the base. Under the mound is the coffin of Antiochus I of Commagene (69-38 BC). The edges of the rocky peak, on which the tomb is located, have been turned into large terraces on three sides. Two of them are decorated with five majestic seated statues 8 meters high: in the middle is the figure of Zeus, on the sides personified by "Commagene" and King Antiochus, on the edges of Apollo and Hercules.

King Antiochus was a perky guy with Armenian roots and megalomania. He claimed that his mother came from the family of Alexander the Great, and his father was a descendant of the Persian king Darius. He himself wanted to become famous no less than Macedonian and did not think of anything better than to create his own religion with himself at the head. In this religion, he tried to combine the traditions of the gods of the West (Greek) and the East (Zoroastrianism) and, like the kings of antiquity, commanded to deify himself. On the wall of the temple, he ordered to knock out his will, which was to immortalize his name: “My birthday should be celebrated every year and every month. On these days, let the chief priest burn incense in honor of the gods and me and put the most exquisite dishes and wines on the festive tables, and let him bring livestock for the sacrifice. My subjects gathered here must taste everything, and let there be a holiday. "

In principle, there is a version that the whole thing was built by aliens, because how could ancient people drag 8-9 meter statues to such a high mountain. But, in my opinion, although this whole sanctuary looks very impressive, the questions of the complexity of the construction disappear when you have slaves.

Like the Egyptian rulers, Antiochus in the center of the tomb built a kind of pyramid - a 50-meter mound of stones. However, the greatness of this project lies in the fact that the mound crowned a 2-kilometer mountain.

The terrace facing the east side was the most revered, here, in addition to mystical statues, there is an altar in the form of a stepped pyramid and a stone wall. The ledges in the west and east of the tombs are connected by a gallery, at the entrance of which are sitting huge stone eagles. On the eastern terrace, in addition to the main altar, five wonderful, 8-9 m high, throne statues of King Antiochus I and the Greek, Western Asian and Iranian gods - Zeus-Ahuramazda, Apollo-Mithra-Helios, Artagen-Hercules-Ares and the goddess Tyche of Commagens were preserved. Each statue was guarded by statues of lions and eagles on either side. Nearby there are four monumental reliefs depicting a king and four gods, as well as a relief with a horoscope, where the deified ruler is placed in the constellation Leo.

The mountain offers superb views of the Ataturk reservoir. By the way, the third largest "lake" in Turkey.

In the pyramid hill, most likely, there is the tomb of Antiochus, although archaeologists still have not been able to find it. The lower part of the hill was surrounded by a stone wall, along the top of which there was a road for solemn processions, connecting three terraces located on the sides of the hill - from the east, west and north. For unknown reasons, the northern terrace remained unfinished, while the western and eastern were built according to a single plan, with the only difference that on the eastern one there was a huge stone altar (apparently intended for performing solemn sacrifices in the light of the rising sun).
The west terrace statues are in significantly worse condition. On both terraces, six reliefs of the royal ancestors of Antiochus I have also survived. Even today, fragments of these huge sculptures amaze tourists.

One interesting feature of the complex is the position of the gods. In both Greek and Persian culture, it was customary for statues of the gods to stand. In exceptional cases - in the named temples of one or another god - the deity was given the right to sit on the throne. On Mount Nemrut-Dag, the gods sit on their thrones, because, according to Antiochus' idea, it was here that the gods found their refuge.