Nemrut Dagi, Central-Eastern Turkey. 2000 year old statues at the altitude of 2000m built by Antiochus II (69 to 34 B.C.). He built a colossal funerary sanctuary dedicated to himself & to the Greco - Persian ancestors. Colossal statues of seated figures are Apollo, Zeus, Hermes and Hercules . The setting is impressive, with the peaks of high mountains spreading out in every direction. The heads are outstanding works of art, and in that setting seem as mysterious as the figures on Easter Island. The peak of Nemrut Dagi itself is capped by the great shrine and the undiscovered tomb of Antiochus I. Attempts to penetrate the secret of this great tumulus pyramid where the burial vault lies have been in vain. The east and west terraces are particularly interesting with their colossal statues measuring some ten meters high. The heads of the statues have fallen to the ground as the result of earthquakes. |
