EDITOR'S NOTE: This CNN Travel series may have adjacent announcements based on the countries it covers. CNN retains full editorial control over the subject matter, reporting and frequency of articles and videos. according to our policy.
Mount Nemrut rises more than 2,000 meters above Adiyaman province, its slopes changing from olive groves to bare rocks. From a distance, it looks like any other peak in the eastern Taurus range—until the colossal heads come into view.
They sit in a solemn line near the top: huge stone faces, their features softened by centuries of earthquakes, frost and sun. Far below, goats make their way through the dry grass as the wind blows across the landscape.
It's hard to know what's more surprising: encountering these giant heads on top of one of the highest mountains in southeastern Turkey or the fact that someone believed they would last forever. But it was the dream of King Antiochus – to build a mountain where he could sit among the deities, his strength carved in stone and contained in the eternal competition of glances with the horizon.
Antiochus I ruled a state called Commagene, which flourished briefly 2,000 years ago in the region north of Syria and the Euphrates River after the collapse of Alexander the Great's empire. It was a place where Greek, Persian, Assyrian and Armenian traditions collided.
Hoping to retain control of the region even after death, Antiochus built his tomb at Nemrut, surrounded by stone figures representing a unique collage of mythologies that swirled around his kingdom. Antiochus himself sat among them, in contact with immortality.
Time and nature had other ideas. Today the statues lie headless and cracked, but they still guard the mountaintop known locally as the “Throne of the Gods.”
Ancient Kingdom
Sunset is a popular time to visit Nemrut, when the mountains and landscape are bathed in golden light. – Kemal Aslan/AFP/Getty Images
The view alone is worth the climb: stunning views of southeast Turkey, not to mention the beautiful sunrises and sunsets. But the steady stream of visitors who climb here—either on foot or along the road that leads up most of the mountain—come here for the archaeological wonders.
The isolation of the mountaintop offers a glimpse into Commagene's rich past, as well as the complex battles and treaties that shaped the kingdom's pursuit of new territory.
Getting to the top of Nemrut is relatively easy. Visitors can hike, but most of the route is on a road accessible by car or guided tour.
Part of the experience is a 50-minute drive from the Kahta area of Adiyaman to the entrance to Mount Nemrut National Park. Along the way, goats and cows grazing on the side of the road create pastoral scenes that have probably changed little over the centuries.
Further up the mountain, the Septimius Severus Bridge, a marvel of Roman engineering, still crosses the Sendere River, and the Karakoush Mound commemorates the female members of the royal family of Commagene, offering a rare glimpse into the daily and ceremonial life of the kingdom.
The route also passes by the ruins of Arsemia, a former royal sanctuary. Carved into the rocks is one of the longest ancient Greek inscriptions found in the region. It rises above a well-preserved relief depicting the “handshake of the gods” – King Mithridates I shaking hands with the hero Hercules.
Just before the final climb, it's worth stopping to take it all in. During the golden hour here, the sun casts a bright light on the ancient kingdom.
In the foothills of Nemrut, the farming village of Kahta offers another glimpse of the past – this time still alive. Here, two-story stone buildings have remained unchanged for several generations. The lower floor serves as storage and shelter for sheep and goats, while the upper floor serves as a family home. Osman Aksoy, offering tea to visitors on his farm, describes the community as “a preserved heritage of the region's history.”
Monumental Ambition
The summit of Nemrut is crowned by a mound believed to contain the tomb of King Antiochus I – Yasin Akgul/AFP/Getty Images
Further up the mountain, the road leads to modern parking and amenities, including a visitor center. In its heyday, two millennia ago, the site was a sacred site or royal complex and was full of believers and officials.
After paying an entrance fee of 10 euros, or about $12, visitors face a 25-minute trek further to reach the terraces at the top – sturdy shoes and warm clothing are recommended, especially during sunrise and sunset, even in high summer. The climb involves a 500-metre climb up about 300 steps, some of which are quite steep.
The air thins with every step up the ancient stone staircase, and the world begins to crumble below. Soon, a huge man-made peak of rubble – a mound – dominates the entire horizon.
It is here that Nemrut's monumental ambitions become apparent.
Long before Turkey's modern borders were formed, the Kingdom of Commagene flourished here, a small but wealthy kingdom that merged the traditions of the wider region into something entirely its own.
The stone figures at Nemrut combine Greek, Persian and Armenian traditions – Zeus, Apollo and Hercules, reinterpreted with Eastern symbols and style, along with a local fertility goddess and Antiochus himself.
The monuments, which are believed to have once stood more than 15 meters high, were created to ensure his immortality. But after the Romans conquered Commagene, the sanctuary was left to the elements. Today, the toppled heads are a haunting reminder of the king's eternal ambition.
The 50-metre-high mound crowning Nemrut is believed to be the final resting place of Antiochus, but the mystery of the hidden tomb of King Antiochus I has baffled archaeologists for more than a century.
Karl Sester, a German engineer who worked in the region, first reported the site to the Prussian Academy of Sciences in 1881. American archaeologist Teresa Goell later spent decades tunneling into the mountainside in search of the camera, but never found it. Some compare its complex internal design to the ingenuity of the Egyptian pyramids.
In 2006, the Middle East Technical University in Ankara launched a new research program, using modern technology to continue what Goell started without disturbing the territory.
“No excavation attempt has been possible since 1987,” says licensed guide Salih Abursu. “This protection ensures that the secret of King Antiochus' secret chamber – and its contents – remains intact. It preserves the site's deepest secrets from tomb robbers and time.”
Written in the Stars
The head of a giant eagle symbolizes heavenly power. – Yasin Akgul/AFP/Getty Images
Today, Nemrut is a protected national park, carefully restored and stabilized for visitors, including using “nano-lime” injected into fine cracks to protect the fragile stone statues from harsh winds, snow and summer heat.
At the top, three terraces – East, North and West – unfold like an ancient scene. The northern terrace was never completed, but to the east one can see a procession with colossal deities, ancestral reliefs and a ritual altar. Five main figures dominate: Zeus, Apollo, Hercules, the fertility goddess Commagene, and Antiochus, surrounded by a lion and an eagle, symbols of earthly and heavenly power. On the Western Terrace, centuries of earthquakes and erosion have left the statues scattered and decapitated, and their enormous heads are now among Turkey's most iconic images.
Beste Thomay, an academic and Nemrut archeology expert from Adıyaman University, says the relief on the western terrace depicting a lion marked with stars and a crescent moon is significant.
“This stone slab is believed to be the oldest known astrological calendar in the world,” she says. He also records the date of the enthronement of King Antiochus I as 7 July 62 BC.
Inscriptions carved in Greek on the backs of the thrones reveal 237 lines of royal decree: details of Antiochus's divine origins, his laws, and his desire that future generations honor him with feasts and reverence.
Below the summit, the view is enormous, with gorges on both sides, the Taurus Mountains looming to the north, and the golden Mesopotamian plains stretching endlessly south to the Euphrates River.
As evening falls, tourists gather among the fallen gods to watch the sun sink below the horizon. “We were very impressed by its deep ancient heritage and spectacular views,” says Julian Boschmann, who visited from Chicago with a friend.
The light begins to change. The statues glow red, then amber, then dim in the dying sun. Shadows stretch across the stone faces, and the mountain again plunges into silence.
For more CNN news and newsletters, create an account at: CNN.com
