In 62 BCE, King Antiochus of Commagene built his tomb-sanctuary on top of Mount Nemrut, with huge (8-9 m (26-30 ft)) stone figures of himself, Hercules, Zeus, and Apollo. He piled up a 49 m (161 ft) high mound of fist sized rocks on the summit of Mount Nemrut. This site is spectacular, it is a must for any visit to Turkey as far as I am concerned.

Nemrut Dağ is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Along the road to the summit are several other interesting sites.

First you get to the Cendere Bridge, a beautiful Roman humpback bridge, built in the 2nd century CE. The inscriptions on the stele state that it was built in honor of Septimius Severus and his wife and son. Three of the four Corinthian columns are still standing.

Next is the Yeni Kale (New Fortress), a 13th century Mamluk castle, with Arabic inscriptions.

About 3.5 km (2.2 miles) further along the road is Arsameia, the ancient Commagene capital, founded by Mithridates I Callicus around 80 BCE. There are several very nice statues and inscriptions in that area. A 158 m (518 ft) long cave-temple descends steeply into the mountain.

The top of the mountain has the eastern and western terraces next to the central mound.

All pictures are © Dr. Günther Eichhorn, unless otherwise noted.

Roman Cendere Bridge
Roman Cendere Bridge. (1103k)
 Columns Cendere Bridge
Columns on the Cendere Bridge. (858k)
 Close-up Columns
Close-up of one of the columns. (595k)
 Inscriptions Column
Inscriptions on the column. (881k)
 Yeni Kale
Yeni Kale. (883k)
 Yeni Kale
Yeni Kale. (949k)
 Inscriptions Yeni Kale
Inscriptions in Yeni Kale. (702k)
 Long Inscription Arsameia
Long inscription in Arsameia. (1072k)
 Entrance 158 m 518 ft Long
Entrance to the 158 m (518 ft) long cave-temple. (624k)
 Inscriptions Stele Bases
Inscriptions on one of the stele bases. (1018k)
 Large Stele Depicting Mithras
Large stele depicting Mithras (or Apollo) the Sun God, wearing a cap with sun rays radiating from it. (627k)
 Stunning Almost Undamaged Relief
A stunning, almost undamaged relief of Mithridates I shaking hands with Hercules. (940k)
 Western Terrace Summit
Western terrace on the summit. (963k)
 Figures Raven Lion
Figures of a raven and lion. (1227k)
 Relief Western Terrace
Relief in the western terrace. (835k)
 View Tumbled-down Figures Western
View of the tumbled-down figures of the western terrace. (1182k)
 Raven Head Western Terrace
Raven head in the western terrace. (1108k)
 Stone Head Western Terrace
Stone head in the western terrace. (1078k)
 Head Apollo Western Terrace
Head of Apollo in the western terrace. (904k)
 Stone Head Western Terrace
Stone head in the western terrace. (1160k)
 Stone Head Western Terrace
Stone head in the western terrace. (870k)
 Row Figures Eastern Terrace
Row of figures in the eastern terrace. (618k)
 Lion Statue Eastern Terrace
Lion statue in the eastern terrace. (601k)
 Lion Head Eastern Terrace
Lion head in the eastern terrace. (866k)
 Stone Head Eastern Terrace
Stone head in the eastern terrace. (993k)
 Stone Head Eastern Terrace
Stone head in the eastern terrace. (749k)
 Stone Head Eastern Terrace
Stone head in the eastern terrace. (793k)
 49 m 161 ft High Tomb
The 49 m (161 ft) high tomb mound on the summit of Mount Nemrut. (795k)

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Page last updated on Mon Oct 26 15:46:18 2020 (Mountain Standard Time)

Page last updated on Tue Apr 23 10:28:12 2024 (Mountain Standard Time)

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© Dr. Günther Eichhorn
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