Turkey Travel

Adıyaman

The City at the Foot of Mount Nemrut. Adıyaman, the cradle of the oldest civilizations in history, is among the most important provinces in Turkey in terms of tourism. Mount Nemrut in Kahta District, the graves, temples and statues of kings seen here are all extremely interesting to tourists. The province has made great progress in agriculture with the introduction of irrigation due to the GAP project. In addition, industrialization has accelerated in recent years.

The Commagene State was founded in the first century B.C. in Adıyaman province. King Antiochus I, who was known as an art lover, decided that his grave be on the summit of Mount Nemrut and said, “Those who visit my grave shall come in their most beautiful attire and the most fragrant perfumes. I will grant them happiness and prosperity for generations on these lands.” In fact, the Mount Nemrut National Park and Mount Nemrut summit, with its impressive silhouette at a height of 2,150 m., is the most frequently visited place in the province.

The Antiochus I Mausoleum, located at the summit of the mountain, is surrounded by three sacred areas in the shape of a terrace carved into the rock, to the east, west and to the north. On the eastern terrace, there are statues of Apollo, the god of art; Tyche (Fortuna), the goddess of fertility and fortune; Zeus, the god of the heavens, Hercules, the god of strength; King Antiochus, and an eagle and a lion. The height of the statues is close to 9 m. The steles of the Commagene Royal Family are to the north and south, and to the east of the terrace, there is a rectangular shaped altar with steps and beside it, a guardian-like lion statue. The western terrace, where there are the same statues, has more impressive sculptures, in spite of the fact that it is more damaged when compared to the eastern terrace. Mount Nemrut has a unique kind of pastoral beauty, especially the view at sunset from the western terrace allows visitors to experience scenes that they will never forget. The most suitable time of year for climbing the mountain is between the 15th of May and the 15th of October.

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