Mount Nemrut It is a mountain with an altitude of 2150 meters in the Kahta district of Adıyaman, which still has a mystery.. What makes Nemrut important is that the Commagene Kingdom, a civilization dating back 2000 years, was established in the region and the king tombs are on the top of the mountain.. Mount Nemrut Tumulus was taken under protection by UNESCO in 1986.
BC. 34. King of Commagene I, who was the most important leader of the kingdom,. Antiochus ordered. Build my tomb on the summit of Nemrut. Without giving this order, the king also declared: “I will erect such a monument here that even many years after my death, many people will come to visit me.. “
It is not known whether Antiochus saw the future Hz.. The Kingdom of Komagene, which ruled in a geography where Jesus was not born and there was no divine religion, was stuck in the east with Persia and the Roman pressure on the west.. Although Antiochus, whose mother was Greek and whose father was Persian, managed bilateral relations very well, Commagene was connected to Rome after him..
Information about Nemrut belonging to the Kingdom of Commagene begins with the photographing of the region by Ara Güler in 1960. Güler’s camera, which went on a journey with a mule for the magazine Der Stern, photographed Nemrut for the first time.. Just like Aprodisias, the discovery of Nemrut was thanks to Ara Güler.. To see Ara Güler’s photos of Nemrut at that time: Ara Güler Nemrut 1960
Sunrise Story in Nemrut
Our guide Suphi announced the night before: Who is coming to Nemrut tomorrow? He immediately collected the names of the attendees and said, “Wake up at 2:30 and service at 2:40 will be ready at the door.. ”.
When we see that the sun rises at 05:30 as of the date we visited the Nemrut Tumulus and the road is 83 km from our hotel, we see that there is no choice but to hit the roads at night..
In order to reach Mount Nemrut with your car, you must first reach the Kahta district of Adıyaman and then reach the Nemrut Mountain Service Area.. There are places where you can park your car.. After our shuttle vehicle brought us to this area, we ran towards the facility in the Service area in the frosty night..
We spent the last minutes drinking tea at the facility to reach the tumulus, which is located at an altitude of 2150 meters. The property has a shop selling blankets and souvenirs.. We also rented blankets because it was very cold.. (10 TL-2019)
As soon as you leave the facility, you pass to the minibuses that move to the summit.. These minibuses take you to a point not far from the summit..
Be warned here. The road is blocky and the children and the elderly may find it difficult for the morning sunrise. I think it is not only difficult but also dangerous for young children and the elderly.. On May 1, there was still snow at the summit.. It may also be beneficial to get support from hotels or tour companies for sunrise to Mount Nemrut.. Because if you are going out here at the extreme secluded hours of the night, you will feel safe.
Towards 05:00 we finally reached the summit and lined up by the altar with the gigantic gods facing the sun.. The sun started to appear slowly where everyone was trying to stay close to each other and shelter from the cold..
We met the sun with our cameras, like a ritual that has been going on for years. There are definitely beautiful places in the world where the sun rises, but it was different to wait with blankets on us against the cold at 2150 meters..
While there are so many beauties in our country, we recommend you to experience this experience.. In fact, add this to the 100 activities to do before you die..
I will talk about the details of the tumulus in detail below. You can come here to Mount Nemrut in a sunset like sunrise. On the other side of the tumulus, the same Komagene statues are lined up in the same order.. So you can commemorate both sunrise and sunset. The reason for this is that one side of his country faces the Persians and the other side faces Rome.. (East West). In this way, he painted himself shaking hands with the Gods and gave the message that his country should not be touched..
In addition, King Antiochus deified himself to protect his country while designing this place.. In front of the tumulus, he, his mother, God Zeus, Apollon and Hermes, as well as Persian symbols eagle and lion statues were depicted respectively.. The message is ‘This is the land of the gods’
People who came here after his death performed rites commemorating his birthday and death day at the “Altar” (altar) located right in front of him..
Now, it is unknown whether the prophecy of the God-King Antiochus, which I mentioned at the beginning of the article, holds, a ritual takes place almost every morning and evening on Mount Nemrut, which was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987..
About the Kingdom of Commagene
Reigned between the Kingdom of Commagene (BC:163-AD:72). The capital of the kingdom, which dominates the geography that includes the current Adıyaman, Kahramanmaraş and Gaziantep provinces, is Samosata.. Let’s say that the capital was submerged by the Atatürk Dam..
The name Kommagene stands for Gene Community. It gained its independence after Alexander’s struggle with the Assyrians after the disintegration of his country.. It can be said that one of the main aims of the Commagene Kings, who maintained their existence for a long time by getting along well with the neighboring empires, was to establish an east-west synthesis theory of belief and place themselves in it.. In this way, they may have wanted to integrate their reign into a belief system.
Mithradates, one of the most important rulers of Commagene, who ruled the region more than 2000 years ago, worked for the purpose I explained above.. We understand this from the stone tablets on which the handshake scenes with the gods are depicted.
The Kingdom of Commagene was located at a strategic point. The kingdom, located on the trade routes between east and west, turned into a commercial center.. The kingdom, which established friendly relations with enemy states, became rich in a short time thanks to trade.
Another important ruler of the kingdom was Antiochus, the son of Mithradates.. His mother was a descendant of Alexander, Leodike, and his father was the Persian king.. His descendant to Darius was Mithradates. This marriage, which facilitated the bridge between East and West, led him to live the heyday of the kingdom..
Although Antiochus improved bilateral relations by marrying his daughter to the Parthian prince, Mithridates II, who succeeded him after his death, was not as successful as him.. MS. The Romans, who increased their dominance in the region after the 20s, invaded the country in 72nd and ended the kingdom.
The Remaining Artifacts from the Kingdom of Commagene
While the capital city of Samosata was flooded, the Nemrut Mountain Tumulus, Karakuş Tumulus, Arsameia Ancient City and relief stone slabs, which form the Nemrut Mountain national park, are the remaining works..
Comagene Statues (Tumulus)
We come across temples and tumuli with burial chambers on high hills and peaks in many parts of Anatolia, both in the Hellenistic period and later on.. People used to think that the gods were on high and one had to be high to communicate with them.. Mount Nemrut Sculptures is one of the elements of a burial chamber and a temple attached to it as a product of this idea..
Departing from above, we see this situation a lot in pre-religious beliefs and in acropolises.. This must be one of the main reasons for the Kings of Commagene. To feel close to the gods, to take sides with them and to deify themselves. Who can attack a state whose king is God? It must be a form of protection..
Mount Nemrut Tumulus is a tomb concept consisting of 3 different terraces on the summit of Mount Nemrut. Below is a section from the work of Guide Zerrin Sapmaz..
To the east and west of the tumulus are identical statues of mythological gods, King Antiochus of Commagene, and his mother.
The crushed stones covering the tomb of Antiochus completely covered the tumulus. Since the tumulus has not been opened for years, it has not been touched for fear of harm when opened.. It is thought that not only Antiochus but also his father and religious leaders are buried in the burial chambers.. In the examinations, the entrance to the burial chamber was hidden because the Romans began to pose a danger.. It is thought that one of the Komagene statues has a golden entrance.
There are 5 statues seated on thrones on the east and west terraces of the tumulus. Each of these sitting statues can reach a weight of 7 tons.. One cannot help but think. How were these statues made and brought here? How long was it made? When we think about it, we realize that the Kings of Komagene had seriously unusual characters.
They gave names to the statues on the East and West Terraces in both Greek and Persian languages..
The statues are Lion, Eagle, Antiochus, Leodike Tyche, Zeus, Apollon, Heracles, Eagle and Aslan, respectively. While the lion symbolizes the god power on earth, the eagle symbolizes the sky.. King God Antiochus, Mother Goddess Thea, Chief God Zeus from 12 Olympian Gods, son of Zeus Apollon, god of music, poetry, art, sun and fire, messenger god Heracles.
While there are the same sculptures on the west terrace, they are designed in a different way on the north terrace.. There is also an altar on the eastern terrace. On the western terrace, there is a relief showing the lioned Horoscope and Antiochus greeting the gods..
Relief Lion Horoscope
We never actually saw the relief lion on the west of the tumulus because it was moved to the restoration house in the area for protection. we are learning. But his story is very meaningful.. The relief, which has the distinction of being the first Horoscope of the Earth, shows that the Komageneans had a considerable place in astronomy..
19 stars in lion figure and Mars, Jupiter and Mercury depicted on relief. Some historians thought that in an ancient Hellenic belief, distinguished mortals were included among the gods and that they shed light on people, and that these stars could also symbolize Kings.. The planets represent the 3 gods in the tumulus.. The crescent on Aslan’s neck is his Kingdom..
Let’s end the last sentences with the tumulus with the will of King Antiochus: “When I took over the ancestral rulership, as a result of my piety, I made the kingdom attached to my throne the common home of all gods.. Whoever preserves and upholds this law and our worship in the course of time will be remembered with my blessings.. May all deceased ancestors and gods be pleased with him. Whoever corrupts or harms the sacred validity of this order, or tries to change its true meaning, may not only himself but also all his descendants be under the wrath of my deceased ancestors and gods”
Blackbird Tumulus
The Karakuş tumulus, named after the eagle symbol on the column on the hill, was dedicated to the women of the Komagene Kings. The mausoleum was unfortunately destroyed and dynamite was detonated by treasure smugglers.. We do not know exactly what was stolen from it, but we say that whatever happened to this country came because of dreams of getting rich quickly..
There is also a lion statue in the timulus, which was built by Mitradates II for his mother and sister.. Although the lion statue was wanted to be seen by the smugglers, it was moved and left to a point.. Unfortunately, some of it has been destroyed.. There is an eagle on the southern column, a lion and a bull on the eastern columns, and a handshake relief of the king and his sister on the western column.. The Karakuş Tumulus has a front to Mount Nemrut at a different location.. The location of the building in the Mount Nemrut national park
Arsameia Ruins
Arsameia, known as the capital of the kingdom where the summer administration was done There is a relief with the handshake scene of Apollo – Mithras.. The largest Greek inscription of Anatolia was found in the corridor with 2 caves.. On the platform on the hill, there is the tomb temple and palace of Mithridathes Callinichos. Location
Adıyaman Cendere Bridge
One of the beauties we saw during our trip was the Cendere Bridge.. On this beautiful bridge, built by Septimis Severus, 4 columns were erected in the name of his wife, himself and his sons. The height of the bridge, which is 7 meters wide and 120 meters long, is 30 meters.
When Septimis Severus died while visiting the city of York Caracalla, who had his brother Geta killed as a result of the throne fights, became the bloodiest emperor of Rome.. Caracalla, who not only had him killed, but also ordered his supporters to be killed one by one, also destroyed everything that was done in the name of Gata.. It was during this period that one of the columns on the Cendere bridge collapsed.. Caracalla was assassinated in 217 in Harran..
While talking about Nemrut so much, it is impossible not to mention Göbeklitepe. If you are here, you can stop by Gaziantep or Göbeklitepe.. Below is a short video of this article. You can watch or expand your trip with the alternative travel routes below..
The Collapse of Religions in Göbeklitepe
Gaziantep Travel Guide
Places to Visit in Halfeti
strong>
Hope you liked our notes. We would be very pleased if you follow us through the channels below..
Follow CengizSelcuk.com :
: