Forgive the double-posting, but today has been particularly exciting and each of the places we’ve visited deserve their own entry.
Several hours drive away from Gobekli Tepe (the previous entry) lies another stupendous UNESCO site – this one at the top of a remote mountain. The temple and tomb of King Antiochus I Epiphanes (64-38 BCE) is perched 2,150 metres above sea level. Antiochus was the son of Mithridates, the founder of the Commagene kingdom (no, never heard of them – they were a breakaway group from the Seleucid empire – no never heard of that either).
Antiochus claimed to be a descendant of Darius the Great of Persia and of Alexander the Great and decided he was also divine in nature – or at least a god-equal. So he ordered the temples to be built ‘on a foundation that will never be demolished… At the conclusion of my life, I will enter my eternal repose here, and my spirit will ascend to join that of Zeus in heaven’.
The very steep path leads up to the 60 metre high tumulus of small rocks that covers the natual summit of the mountain. On our way up, pausing for many short stops, we met adventurous and friendly Turks slithering down (or trying not to) the stony path:
Two young women stopped to ask me to take their photo with my big camera – and then proceeded to photograph the photo … why? I could have just sent it to them:
On reaching the top of the Eastern Terrace, we found six decapitated statues, each several metres high, with their detached heads, a couple of metres from the ground, in front of them (Sue for scale!):
There was a ‘firepit’’ guarded by some mythical creature.
We then walked round to the Western Terrace where the light was rather kinder to the images:
The view from the top was stupendous:
And the descent down the Western side far less scary – though equally as long and steep – than the way we’d come up:
God! The descent looks pretty scary! Why were the heads off? Preservation? It looks amazing! But never heard of any of it before.
That was the easy descent – the other side was stepping stones and slithery gravel. I think the heads off thing is possibly earthquake related but I don’t really know. It’s an extraordinary site.
It looks amazing!
It really is, even when viewed in the company of elegantly dressed Turkish women (no sticks, no hiking boots – just perfect headscarves and makeup).
Such majestic heads, how sublime
Yes, indeed – and so improbable to have heads called Apollo with a ? Persian headdress- such a strange intermingling of cultures in a spectacular setting.
A challenging couple of days! Strong boots am sure
Boots AND walking sticks!
Another amazing site! I have heard of the Seleucid empire but not the c
Commagene. Is that mound natural or is it due for excavation? Spectacular!
I think the mound is part of the original structure but there seems to be a suspicion that a tomb lies inside. Suspect excavations will be handled with great care…
What extraordinary sites and who knew they even existed -= or indeed the civilisations which created then.!
Well, not me for sure although, improbably, I visited this site as a young g thing in my 20s – the heads were bigger then of course. This area is extraordinary for the cross overs between religions and cultures..
Fantastic posts! I’m slurping it all up. (Sure puts all our Trump misery over here into perspective.)
From time to time I remember Trump and then just think of the heads of kings and gods on top of a remote mountains and somehow the orange one just fades away..
This was one of my favourite places in Turkey. Thanks for taking me back today. Maggie
V pleased it’s brought back good memories – this does seem a very special part of Turkey.
Fascinating.
And all very strange – fabulous setting for a faintly mad gesture..