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Adiyaman, Türkiye
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Mount Nemrut rises more than 2,000 meters above Adiyaman province, its slopes disappearing from olive groves to bare rock. From a distance, it looks like any other peak in the eastern Taurus Mountains until you see its giant head.
They are lined up solemnly near the top. The large stone face has been tempered by centuries of earthquakes, frost and sun. Far below, goats claw their way through dry grass as the wind blows across the landscape.
It’s hard to know what’s more surprising: the encounter with these giant heads near the top of one of the highest mountains in southeastern Turkey, or the fact that everyone believed they would last forever. But that was King Antiochus’ dream. To carve your power into stone, to build a mountain where you can sit among the gods, locked in eternal gaze with the horizon.
Antiochus I ruled a state called Commagene that briefly flourished in Syria and the region north of the Euphrates River 2,000 years ago, after the fall of Alexander the Great’s empire. It was a place where Greek, Persian, Assyrian, and Armenian traditions collided.
Hoping to maintain influence over the region after his death, Antiochus had Nemrut build a tomb for him, flanked by stone statues representing the unique collage of myths swirling around his kingdom. Antiochus himself sat among them, standing shoulder to shoulder with the immortals.
Time and nature had other ideas. Today, the statue lies decapitated and cracked, but continues to watch over the mountaintop known locally as the “Throne of God.”
The dramatic views of southeast Turkey, not to mention the beautiful sunrises and sunsets, are worth the climb. But the archaeological wonders continue to draw visitors, either on foot or by road that climbs much of the mountain.
The isolated space of the mountaintop provides space to imagine Commagene’s rich past and the complex battles and treaties that defined the kingdom’s exploration of new territory.
Getting to the top of Mount Nemrut is relatively easy. Visitors can hike, but most of the way there is a road and can be accessed by car or guided tour.
A 50-minute drive from Adiyaman’s Kahta district to the entrance of Mount Nemrut National Park is also part of the experience. Along the way, goats and cows graze on the roadside, creating an idyllic landscape that seems to have remained largely unchanged for centuries.
Further up the hill, the Septimius Severus Bridge, a marvel of Roman engineering, still spans the Cendere River. Meanwhile, the Karakush tombs commemorate female members of the Commagene royal family and offer a rare glimpse into the kingdom’s daily life and rituals.
This route also passes the ruins of Alsemia, a former royal sanctuary. The ancient Greek inscription carved into the cliff is one of the longest found in the area. The statue stands on a well-preserved relief depicting the “Handshake of the Gods”, in which Mithridates I and the hero Hercules shake hands.
Just before the final climb, it’s worth stopping and taking it all in. At golden hour here, the sun casts dramatic light on the ancient kingdom.
The rural village of Kakhta, nestled in the foothills of Mount Nemrut, offers another glimpse of the past. This village is still alive. Here, a two-story stone building remains unchanged for generations. The lower floor is storage and shelter for the sheep and goats, and the upper floor is the family home. Offering tea to visitors at his farm, Osman Aksoy describes the community as a “still-standing asset of the region’s history.”
Further up the mountain, the road reaches facilities such as a modern car park and visitor centre. In its heyday 2,000 years ago, this site would have been a sacred stage or royal institution, crowded with worshipers and officials.
After paying an entrance fee of 10 euros, or about $12, visitors face another 25-minute trek to reach the top terrace. Sturdy shoes and warm clothing are recommended, especially during sunrise and sunset, even in the height of summer. The climb involves walking 500 meters over approximately 300 steps, some of which are quite steep.
As you climb the ancient stone steps, the air becomes thinner and the world below begins to disappear. Soon, huge artificial peaks, or tumuli, made of crushed stone dominate the entire horizon.
Here Nemrut’s monumental ambitions become clear.
The kingdom of Commagene flourished here long before Türkiye’s modern borders were formed. This was a small but wealthy kingdom that blended the traditions of the wider region into its own.
Nemrut’s stone statues are a fusion of Greek, Persian, and Armenian traditions, with Zeus, Apollo, and Hercules reimagined through Eastern symbols and styles, alongside the local fertility goddess and Antiochus himself.
These monuments, which are believed to have once been more than 15 meters high, were designed to ensure his immortality. However, after the Romans conquered Commagene, the sanctuary was naturally abandoned. Today, the upturned head is a haunting reminder of the king’s eternal ambition.
The 50-metre-high tumulus at the top of Nemrut is thought to be the final resting place of Antiochus, but the mystery of Antiochus I’s hidden tomb has puzzled archaeologists for more than a century.
Karl Sester, a German engineer working in the area, first reported the site to the Prussian Academy of Sciences in 1881. American archaeologist Theresa Gewell spent decades digging tunnels through the mountainside looking for the chamber, but it was never discovered. Some liken its intricate internal design to the ingenuity of the Egyptian pyramids.
In 2006, the Middle East Technical University in Ankara launched a new research program that continued what Goel had started using modern technology, but without disturbing the field.
“Since 1987, no excavation attempt has been possible,” says official guide Salih Abrus. “Its protection will keep the mystery of King Antiochus’ hidden chamber and its contents intact. It will keep the ruins’ deepest secrets safe from tomb robbers and time.”
Today, Nemrut is protected as a national park and has been carefully restored and stabilized for visitors, including the use of “nanolime” injected into microscopic cracks to protect the fragile stone statues from harsh winds, snow, and summer heat.
At the top, three terraces spread out like an ancient stage: east, north, and west. The northern terrace was never completed, but on the eastern side the arrangement of giant deities, ancestral reliefs and altar processions were revealed. The five main figures – Zeus, Apollo, Hercules of the fertility goddess Commagene, and Antiochus – are flanked by a lion and an eagle, symbols of earthly and celestial power. On the western terrace, centuries of earthquakes and erosion have left statues scattered and decapitated, but the giant head is now one of Turkey’s most iconic statues.
Beste Tomei, a scholar at Adiyaman University and an expert on Nemrut archaeology, says the relief on the west terrace depicting a lion with a star and crescent symbol is of great importance.
“This tablet is considered the world’s oldest known astrological calendar,” she says. The accession date of Antiochus I was also revised to July 7, 62 BC.
An inscription in Greek on the back of the throne contains a 237-line royal decree detailing Antiochus’ divine lineage, laws, and his desire for future generations to celebrate him with feasting and respect.
There are vast views below the top. Valleys plunge down on either side, the Taurus Mountains rise to the north, and the golden plains of Mesopotamia stretch endlessly south toward the Euphrates River.
In the evening, tourists gather at the Hall of the Fallen Gods to watch the sun set on the horizon. “We were very impressed by its deep ancient heritage and spectacular scenery,” said Julian Boschman, who was visiting from Chicago with a friend.
The light begins to change. The statue glows red, then amber, then disappears in the fading sun. As the mountain sinks into silence, shadows spread across the stone surface.
