Though many of the English teachers who came together on this trip took 10-14 hour bus rides to arrive, there was no doubt in any of our minds that the lengthy travel was worth it. The tomb is also heralded as a unique artistic achievement, the complex design and scale of which are unequaled in the ancient world.įor this reason, among others, UNESCO gave Mount Nemrut the deserving distinction of World Heritage site in 1987, and ever since it has been one of the most celebrated historical sites in Turkey. Though they have long since been toppled, the statues were once colossal UNESCO claims some of the stone blocks used to make them weigh up to nine tons. I was a bit short of breath on the way up and wasn’t sure whether to attribute that to the rapid elevation gain or to my growing affinity for endless Turkish breakfasts.Īfter catching my breath and getting a closer look at the ruins, it dawned on me how impressive a feat it must have been to build this tomb. Though we took a minibus almost the entire way up the side of the mountain, we still had to climb several hundred steps to reach the terraces surrounding Nemrut’s peak. Looking out over the sprawling hills and ravines below, which stretch away from me in jagged switchbacks as far as I can see, I feel a bit divine myself. At over 7,000 feet, Mount Nemrut is one of the highest peaks in southeastern Turkey. I can’t help but admire his choice of location for the impressive Hierothesion. The fallen heads of two lion and eagle statues also stand watch over the King’s burial ground. The megalomaniac King thought himself a god, so he had the giant statues of himself placed next to those such as Hercules, Zeus, and Apollo. The wide range of cultural influences in the area caused King Antiochus I to carry on a dynastic religious program that, besides including both Greek and Persian deities, also included King Antiochus’ own family lineage.įor this reason, many of the statues are themselves tributes to the King and his ancestors. After the Romans defeated the Seleucid Empire in 190 BCE, the successor state Commagene was established to occupy the Taurus mountains and the Euphrates. The rocks we are gathered on lie next to what is presumably an enormous temple-tomb where King Antiochus I is buried.
“Here lies the late Hellenistic King Antiochos I Theos of Commagene, the most famous of this kingdom, who has consecrated this site near to the Gods to be his final resting place. I imagine a lavish tombstone adorning the toppled statues might carry the following: The waning sunlight casts a golden glow on the western face of Nemrut, illuminating the fallen heads of 30-foot tall statues that were erected here in the 1st century BCE. We huddle on stacked boulders, pulling our scarves higher around our red cheeks while the temperature falls rapidly along with the sun. We are a group of nearly 30 English instructors, here to join the excited crowd of Turks, foreign travelers, and, on this particular evening, a delegation of some high ranking diplomats from Ankara. High above the barren, stretching expanse of southeastern Turkey, we gather on the rocks scattered around the conical peak of Nemrut Dağı and watch the sun sink below the Eastern Taurus mountain range.
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