Nemrut

The Nemrut mountainside, containing the tomb of King Antiochus of the Commagene Kingdom and several giant statues standing ten meters high, was inscribed to UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1987.

Nemrut Mountain was one the most majestic places of worship in ancient Anatolia. According to the inscriptions, Antiochus built a monumental tomb, a tumulus of cut stones built over the tomb, as well as several terraces along the three edges of the tumulus. These three terraces are known as the East, West and North Terraces.

The East and West terraces each have five statues of gods, set in the same order on both terraces. The statues are made of stone blocks, each weighing 7-8 metric tons, and sit on thrones about seven meters above the terrace floor. The heads of the statues have toppled down and are scattered on the terraces. Behind the terraces one can find a cult inscription of 237 lines, written in Greek letters. The inscription was the will of Antiochus, and contains information about the sanctuary as well as instructions for rituals. Nemrut is a well-preserved ancient delight.

ODS Turkey strongly recommends the historically interested visitor to take the trip east to Nemrut, listed as Unesco World Heritage.