Nemrut Dağ
The mausoleum of Antiochus I (69–34 B.C.), who reigned over Commagene, a kingdom founded north of Syria and the Euphrates after the breakup of Alexander's empire, is one of the most ambitious constructions of the Hellenistic period. The syncretism of its pantheon, and the lineage of its kings, which can be traced back through two sets of legends, Greek and Persian, is evidence of the dual origin of this kingdom's culture. (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/448)
(Photo: sozcu.com.tr)
(Photo:haber7.com)
(Photo:netresim.com)
Historical overview:
The small Kingdom of Commagene was located in the faraway corner of Asia Minor demarcated on one side by the upper course of the Euphrates, and on the other - by the Anti-Taurus Mountains. Despite its modest size, Commagene played an important role as a buffer state between the Seleucid Empire in the west and Parthia in the East, in the period of Roman expansion to the east, into the area controlled by the Hellenistic states. King Antiochus I, reigning in the years 70-38 BCE (or 69-36 BCE, depending on the source), was the most powerful ruler of Commagene. For over 30 years, he faced the political challenges of this turbulent period. As the son, and most probably the only child, of King Mithridates I Callinicus from the Orontid Armenian dynasty and Princess Laodice VII Thea, a Greek–Syrian princess of the Seleucid Empire, Antiochus could boast the descend from two distinguished families, with ancestors both in the West and in the East.
These mixed origins were reflected in Antiochus' policy of maintaining the balance between the East and the West, and in the assumptions of the religion he established. The Antiochus monument on Mount Nemrut - the highest mountain peak in the Kingdom of Commagene - is a compelling proof of the megalomania of this ruler who thought he was equal to the gods. To express this belief, he ordered the erection of an artificial mound of crushed rock, 50 meters high, on Mount Nemrut top. At the foot of this peak, 8–9-metre-high statues were placed depicting him surrounded by the gods.
https://turkisharchaeonews.net/site/mount-nemrut
