Description of the attraction
Once upon a time, King Antiochus I ruled the small state of the Commagens, which was located between the Parthian kingdom and the Roman Empire. It seems that this tsar had megalomania, besides, he considered himself a direct descendant of Darius I and Alexander the Great. Antiochus I ordered to build a temple and a tomb on the top of Mount Nemrut (height 2150 m). Among the stone statues of heroes and gods such as Apollo, Hercules, Zeus, etc. the statue of Antiochus was also installed. Since then, about 2000 years have passed, which have not spared the ancient buildings and statues, nevertheless, today this place is unusually beautiful.
Due to the fact that the ruins of the Temple of Antiochus are located on the east and west side of the mountain, it is best to visit Nemrut in the early morning or evening. The mysterious mound, 50 meters high and 150 meters in diameter, was built of bricks and stones. The fence is framed in the form of ledges carved into the rock. On the eastern side of the mountain there are statues, a stone wall, and an altar that looks like a stepped pyramid. The gallery connects the ledges to the east and west of the tomb, and the entrance to the tomb is guarded by two huge stone eagles.
There are also bas-reliefs that depict the ancestors of Antiochus - Alexander the Great (maternal ancestor) and the Persian king Darius (paternal ancestor). The western part of the monument is decorated with a statue in the shape of a lion, which has a height of 1.75 meters and a length of 2.5 meters. The back of the lion is decorated with 19 stars, 16 rays emanate from each star (small stars emit 8 rays). There is a crescent moon on the lion's chest. The three largest stars represent Mars, Mercury and Jupiter. It may have been the oldest horoscope in the world. Nothing is known about the exact purpose of the lion statue.
After excavations, archaeologists have established that the remains of King Antiochus were in a cave carved into the rock. After the burial, the cave was closed with a mound. Until now, the burial chamber has never been opened.
The ruins of the monument were discovered by the German engineer Karl Sester in 1881. Over the next two years, 2 expeditions to Turkey were organized. After that, excavations lasted until 1989, when this area was declared a National Park.
