Day 52: Entombed Amongst The Gods, Nemrut Dagi 29 Comments

This entry was posted in Travel Turkey and tagged 2018 Asia Breathtaking Views memorial Mountains Photography Travel Walks on

It has to be said that Nemrut Dagi is one of the most mystical and awe inspiring places in Turkey. Before we arrived in Turkey, we knew very little about Nemrut other than the huge stone faces. Little did we know it was an ancient burial site. And what better way to appreciate the sacred site than at sunrise. Although when the alarm clock sounded at 4.00, our appreciation was somewhat muted. 

The climb from the car park to the first point (fork in the road) is not too far. Maybe half an hour, but you are not allowed to walk along the road, so we tootle over to the shuttle bus and hand the driver 10TL for 2 people. Within minutes he was off and driving like a bat out of hell. The road writhed around a series of switchbacks over precipitous drops, which thankfully we could not see in the darkness. In a short space of time we arrive at the drop off point, the small car park and ramshackle cafe below the summit of Nemrut Dagi. Last night, we took the left turn and this morning, we take the right hand path up towards the eastern terrace. 

Nemrut Dagi (Mount Nimrod) is a 7001 ft high mountain in the south east of Turkey. On top of the mountain sits a mass of stone chipping’s piled high into a conical summit. It looks weirdly false and it is false. The 50 metre high pile of nondescript stones is actually a pyramidal tomb structure built for King Antiochus I in 62 BC. As king of Commagene, he was the progeny of a long line of royals from both the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire and also the Achaemenids of Persia.  

Half an hour before sunrise and we reach the viewing platform. We sit in silence with a dozen or so early birds and gaze over the River Firat and the neighbouring plains. To our surprise we are probably the youngest up here with the majority of visitors being Turkish and over 60. We sit patiently and wait. At 06.17 the first sun beams appear on the horizon and everyone cheers. Then slowly but surely the stone heads of Nemrut light up in the warm morning glow. By 07.00, the mountain was almost deserted and we had the place to ourselves. 

The courtyards to the tumulus are shaped like terraces. To the east and the west the stone terraces originally hosted enormous 30ft statues.  One of King Antiochus I, two lions, two eagles plus several Greek, Armenian and Iranian Gods. It is also believed the statue of the lion represents Leo, one of the oldest horoscope images in the world. The religious ceremonies were held on the western side, which is the most damaged. Today, heads, rubble and delicate pale blue plants are all that remain of the giant stone statues. The statues on the east are in much better condition.

It is thought that the king’s bones or ashes were put inside the room carved into the main rock. Then covered by the tumulus which is 50 meters high and 150 meters in diameter. It is said, the tomb is built in such a manner that if anyone tries to unearth the tomb, the whole summit will collapse on itself. 

East Terrace

Over the centuries, the site has crumbled into ruins. Earthquakes have toppled the enormous stone heads from the shoulders of the statues and left them scattered around the mountain top.   The statues were once seated on the thrones that can be seen in the photos, with names of each god inscribed on them.  The heads of the statues have at some stage been removed from their bodies. The rest of the damage, sadly, is down to human destruction.

West Terraces

According to inscriptions left behind before he died, Antiochus said he wanted to be buried in a high, isolated and holy place.

By all accounts he succeeded. He built his own pantheon on this summit and entombed himself among the gods.

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