The setting sun cast a red glow on the statues on the top of Mount Nemrut. Built in the 1st century BCE, a narcissistic king placed massive statues of himself as well as Greek, Persian and Armenian gods on a mountain, high above his kingdom. We had wanted to see these ancient statues on Mount Nemrut for a while, and they did not disappoint.
Mount Nemrut (Nemrut Dağ)
King Antiochos I of Commagene was ruler of an ancient Armenian kingdom located in the Eastern Taurus Mountain Range in Turkey. Their lands were a buffer between the Roman and Persian Empires until they were overthrown by the Romans in the 1st century AD. In 62 BCE King Antiochos I had a 50 m high tumulus erected on the top of the highest mountain in the region. This burial mound was intended to be for his own grave although, to this day his grave has not been found.
At the base of the tumulus the king built areas for religious ceremonies. This included placing massive statues of their gods on either side of the tumulus. One group of statues would see the rising sun, the other, the setting sun. The people in his kingdom were idol worshippers and as king, he was a god. Therefore, along with statues of Greek, Persian and Armenian gods, there is a statue of the king at this place of worship. It was these statues that we came to see.
The drive to reach Mount Nemrut National Park takes you through the arid Eastern Taurus Mountains. From the park entrance we walked up the barren mountain slope to the statues on top. The walk was only 10 or 15 minutes but it allowed us to enjoy the scenic mountains and the Euphrates River Valley below.
We visited the East Terrace first. As we rounded the corner that was hiding the courtyard, we were awestruck by what we saw. Above us was a row of five, huge, headless stone bodies sitting in chairs facing east. Each are 8-10 m tall and are atop a raised altar above the courtyard.
Centuries of weather and vandalism resulted in extensive damage to the statues. The bodies have been returned to their original positions, but the heads have been placed on the ground in front of their respective bodies. The heads are massive at 2 ½ -3 ½ meters tall. The megalomaniac king apparently considered himself a contemporary to the gods because the statue of him is the same size and position as the gods.
Claiming that his ancestry was both Greek and Persian, the king named each statue after multiple gods. Other than the king’s statue, which had one name, inscriptions on the statues label each one with names of Greek, Persian and Armenian gods. The only female god is name both Tychee and the Goddess of Commagene. Another is named Zeus, Orosmasdes and Ahura Mazda. A third is called Apollo, Mithras, Helios and Hermes. The final statue is named Hercules, Artagnes, Bahram and Ares.
For ease of reading we will refer to the statues by the Greek names that are most commonly used.
Although weathered and damaged, it’s difficult to believe that these statues were sculpted over 2,000 years ago. You can still see the details in their faces, hair and helmets.
In addition to the heads, there are two eagles and two lions on each terrace. The animals are said to represent the Kingdom’s domination over the sky and earth. The eagles represent the sky and the lions, the earth. One of the lions on the East Terrace was catching the last few rays of sun as is set behind the tumulus.
The best time to visit East Terrace is during sunrise when all of the statues are bathed in a warm glow.
It is believed that in addition to the natural wear and tear from the elements, the statues on both terraces on Mount Nemrut were purposely damaged. The fact that each of the statues’ noses were broken indicates that they were damaged because they were pagan idols.
In addition to the heads and bodies there are a few reliefs on display. They are believed to have been part of a large frieze that was placed above the statues. On the East Terrace they show the lineage of the king. On the West Terrace the reliefs are of the king shaking hands with the gods.
Statues of the same gods that we saw on East Terrace are also on display on West Terrace. Today though, the western side is much more disorganized. The bodies have been badly damaged and lie in pieces on the ground. Scattered amongst them are a haphazard arrangement of heads. But somehow, this disorganized mess made us like West Terrace a bit more.
On the west side we were able to get closer to the statues and see them at different angels. We purposely timed our arrival to be on West Terrace for sunset, which likely added to our preference. It was the perfect spot to watch how the lowering sun cast different shadows and brought out different features in the faces and clothes. When the sun began to set even lower, a warm, red glow fell upon the statues. It was spectacular.
Looking across the valley to see the sun setting behind the mountains was the perfect end to this great day.
Most tours to Mount Nemrut includes a few stops on the way up to the mountain. Due to damage from the March 2023 earthquake we were only able to visit a couple of them.
Karakuş Tumulus
King Mithridates II, son of King Antiochos I, had Karakuş Tumulus built over the graves of his mom, sister and nephew. Surrounding the base of the tumulus are 4 columns. There used to be 6-9, but these 4 are all that remain. In the distance, behind the double columns, we had a view of Mount Nemrut.
The columns used to have sculptures of animals such as lions, bulls and eagles on their tops. They are mostly damaged now, but you can make out the image of the king and his sister on one of them.
Cendere Bridge (Cendere Köprüa)
This ancient Roman Bridge spans the narrow Cendere Creek on the edge of a narrow canyon of the same name. Columns at the beginning of the bridge were built to honour the Roman Emperor and Empress of the time.
Two additional sites were heavily damaged from the March 2023 earthquake and were still closed in August 2023. Arsemia was the ancient summer city for the Commange kingdom. There are a few ruins from the ancient city, but we couldn’t explore very far. Above the city are two caves. One was used to store food, the other for religious rituals. We could see the caves from the road.
Being part way up the mountain at the entrance to the city gave us nice views of the valley below.
Another site that is commonly visited is Kahta Castle. It had just been renovated and reopened in 2022, however the castle suffered damage from the earthquake so is closed again. We could only see it from a distance on the highway below.
Tips for visiting Mount Nemrut
The site is only open from May to November due to snow in winter months. It is located at 2,150 m elevation therefore walking up the hill from the parking lot may be difficult for some. This elevation also means it can get cool when the sun goes down. We visited in August and it did get chilly in the evening, but we didn’t need to wear the sweaters that we brought. In spring and fall though it will likely be a lot colder.
Entrance fees – The fee for Mount Nemrut National Park is 250 TRY ($8.30 USD). The easiest way to visit the site if you don’t have a car is with a tour. If you take a tour from Kahta, the cost for Mount Nemrut and surrounding sites is €40. The fee includes transportation and the museum entrance fee.
Where to stay to visit Mount Nemrut
Kahta is the closest town to the south entrance. There are a few local hotels, restaurants and tour groups in Kahta. The larger city of Adiyaman is 40 km away and has more choices for hotels, restaurants and tour companies. When we were there though, Adiyaman was heavily damaged from the earthquake so we chose to stay instead in Kahta. The other option is to stay in Karadut on the other side of the mountain. It is much smaller and trickier to reach than Kahta if you don’t have a car.
Getting to Kahta or Adiyaman
There are a few flights that land in Adiyaman airport from Istanbul. There are more choices to fly to Gaziantep where you can rent a car or take a bus to Adiyaman. If you are taking a bus to reach Kahta, the only option is to take a mini-bus (dolmas) from the Adiyaman bus station.
On the drive through Adiyaman we passed block after block of earthquake damaged buildings from the March 2023 earthquake. We could see even more damaged buildings when we looked down the streets. The devastation extended for many blocks. This was not even the epicenter, that was 180 km away. Thankfully, there was no damage to Mount Nemrut.
Note – Prices are from Autumn 2023.
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Coming Next – The Whirling Dervishes in Konya
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