Nemrut Dagi (Turkish: Nemrut Dağı; Armenian: Նեմրութ լեռ), would probably be my favorite place to visit. However, due to the war in Syria, and unstable conditions in eastern Turkey, it was not recommended to visit in those days. A Westerner could get kidnapped, or worse. I chose to drive north to Hittite country (Hattusha) from my conference in Nevsehir, Cappadocia instead of a couple 100 km. to Nemrut Dağı in the east. YouTube video 9:01
The ruins are located on a cone-shaped mountain. The Ataturk Reservoir on the Euphrates River is visible in the background (and also featured on maps at the end of this post.)
The archaeological site actually consists of two collections of stone heads and rubble on opposite sides of a the hill (elevation: 2,134 m / 7,001 ft) in a very remote area of East-central Turkey.
The complexes - on opposite sides of the mountain - were erected by the ancient Armenian king, Antiochus, head of the Commagene Empire. These statues - along with fragments ofbas-relief figures from a frieze - are located near the summit.
Damage to the statues indicates that they were intentionally decapitated; the heads now lie scattered throughout the site, and have not been restored to their original positions. Some are turned upright. The figures appear to have Greek-style facial features, but Persian clothing and hair-styling.
Archaeologists have created an historical reconstruction of this first-century BCE complex:
A nearby site has a large stone slab with a lion, showing the arrangement of stars and the planets Jupiter, Mercury and Mars on 7 July 62 BC. The site is thought to have used for religious ceremonies based on the astronomical signs caused by alignment of specific figures.
This religious site - between the Taurus mountains and the Euphrates - could have been created by Antiochus to unify his multi-ethnic kingdom and secure the authority of his dynasty.
Although the Imperial cult did not last long after Antiochus, several of his successors had their own tombs built on Mount Nemrud.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CG3VL-iRWE The sites were excavated in 1881 by Karl Sester, a German engineer, who was scouting-out transport routes through the Ottoman Empire. Subsequent excavations have failed to reveal Antiochus' tomb, but he is still believed to be buried here.
For around half of the year, Mount Nemrud lies covered in snow. Combined with freezing temperatures, this precipitation causes weathering or erosion of the statues.
Map above: Nemrut Dağı National Park, colored in green is near the Ataturk Reservoir on the Euphrates River. It drains to the SW on its way to meeting with the Tigris River in Iraq before pouring into the Persian Gulf. Additional Information about Nemrut Dağı: http://nemrud.nl/
Here is a link to the site's Table of Contents: LINK
To visit other topics on my website, Click here for the Table of Contents
No comments:
Post a Comment