Standing among gods at mysterious Mount Nemrut
- Keira Proust
- 2 hours ago
- 9 min read
One of Türkiye's most perplexing and impressive ancient sites lies in the country's southeast, not too far from the Syrian border. UNESCO-listed Mount Nemrut is home to towering statues of ancient gods, built during the reign of a megalomaniac king in the 1st century BC. We took an incredibly arduous bus journey to reach this remote part of Türkiye, but it was worth every tiring kilometre!
Bus to Mount Nemrut (Kahta)
The ancient site of Mount Nemrut lies about 1,200 kilometres southeast of Istanbul's Asian side. Paddy and I had just completed a tour of the coastline and Cappadocia region (by public transport), and were ready for a final push to this more remote part of the country.
I struggled to find much useful information online about reaching Mount Nemrut by bus. Most people suggested flying to the nearby city of Adiyaman and finding a tour to Mount Nemrut from there. However, given we'd spent the past five months backpacking Europe without stepping on a plane, that wasn't an appealing option. It would also be the final long, adventurous journey of our 11-month backpacking whirlwind abroad, so we were committed to finding a way!
We started by taking a very early morning bus from Kayseri to Kahta. We had been staying in Göreme, the heart of Cappadocia, about an hour's drive from Kayseri. So, we were up at 2:30am to get a taxi to the Kayseri bus stop and then boarded the 4:45am bus bound for Kahta.
It was a long bus ride (although not nearly as arduous as our return journey). We spent about nine hours winding our way through Türkiye's arid countryside. The landscape was dusty, mountainous and quite barren. Clusters of uninhabited apartment complexes appeared randomly across the desolate landscape.
We were the only two people on the bus heading to Kahta. The bus drivers in Türkiye are very accommodating and dropped us off in front of our hotel. Before crashing out from exhaustion, we explored its small market and main street. The market was complete with spice stalls, camel rides and plenty of rugs.
Staying in Kahta
Kahta is about an hour's drive from Mount Nemrut. We had read that you could stay in a small village closer to the site called Karadut, but buses to this town are apparently unreliable. So, we arranged a driver to take us from Kahta to Mount Nemrut and other ancient sites of the Kommagene Kingdom.
Before that, though, we had to wrangle a dodgy Turkishman and his monopoly-man ways.
After plenty of research online, I found a hotel and messaged the owner on WhatsApp. He assured us that he could arrange a driver to Mount Nemrut and that we'd be able to stay at his hotel. However, he stopped responding when I asked for the price. We decided to book through Agoda and let him know via WhatsApp. There was no response! So we just crossed our fingers and hoped for the best.
On arrival, we were ushered through an outdoor construction site to reach the reception. While checking in, he said that he didn't work with Agoda and that we'd have to pay for the room again in cash! After showing him our messages and proof of payment, he grumbled and disappeared out back for 10 minutes or so. On his return, he handed us a key, dismissed us, and didn't speak of it again.
Clearly pissed off that he didn't get a cash payment from us, we were taken to a small, run-down building next door. Most of the carpets were getting removed, and the ceiling was covered in a strange substance. It definitely was not the room we had booked, but we were too exhausted to argue.
Given that he was also constructing a third building (probably another hotel), we gave him the title Monopoly Man.
Exploring the Kommagene Kingdom
The next day was a much more rewarding and pleasant experience! It was time to go to Mount Nemrut and explore the surrounding ancient sites of the Kommagene (or Commagene) Kingdom.
Two thousand years ago, the independent state of Kommagene flourished under King Antiochus I. It formed after the breakup of Alexander the Great's empire and was located in a region to the north of Syria and the Euphrates River. Many cultures collided here, including the Assyrians, Greeks, Armenians and Persians.
King Antiochus I ordered Mount Nemrut to be built as a monument to himself, with his head carved into stone alongside some great gods of the Hellenistic period.
However, many other significant historic sites sit along the road to Nemrut. We were lucky enough to have a wonderful local driver, Dimitri, who took us to quite a few of these places during the day.
Karakuş Tumulus - women's tomb
The first stop was Karakuş Tumulus, a tomb for some important women during the Kommagene Kingdom. It's rare to find funeral monuments dedicated to just women during this era, making this place particularly special.
It is believed that the tomb was covered in dirt and shaped into a pyramid before being surrounded by tall stone columns. They were adorned with various creatures, including an eagle and a lion. The pyramid can be seen from other important ancient sites around the region.
Ancient Roman bridge
As we continued alongside more dusty landscapes, we came across an ancient Roman bridge. It was still in perfect condition and had long been used as the main thoroughfare for trucks over the river until a newer bridge was built recently. It overlooked a picturesque gorge, caves, and a flat river.
Dimitri insisted on taking photos of us at every stop, a common theme with guides and drivers during our 11 months abroad.
Another pit stop was made along a picturesque stretch of road, where lots of jumping images were taken. My favourite was this one of Paddy and Dimitri.
During our trip, Dimitri told us about his Greek heritage and what life was like living as a Christian in a Muslim majority nation. He said his family faced isolation and judgment in Kahta, but he was still very proud of his country and its history.
Because of this pride, he told us that he often let travellers stay at his home for free and offered tours of many surrounding areas of the country's southeast. He invited us to stay with him when we come back.
Kahta castle
Another stunning stop on our way to Nemrut was Kahta Castle. Less ancient than the other sites, but seriously impressive. Built in medieval times, the castle has seen Byzantine, Artuqid and Seljuk influences. It towered over the river and village below.
There were also some signs of damage to the structure and surrounding mountains from the devastating 2023 earthquakes. More than 56,000 people died across Türkiye and Syria after two huge earthquakes struck the region. Entire villages were flattened, and millions were displaced. Dimitri said many locals had died and recalled jumping out of his second-storey window with his family during the ordeal.
After exploring the beautiful castle ruins, we dug into some delicious Turkish food. A local man cooked us menemen, a popular dish of scrambled eggs, tomato, capsicum, onion and spices.
It was one of the most flavourful dishes we'd had in Türkiye. The owner definitely overcharged us, but given the taste, we didn't complain.
Arsameia - ancient capital city
Our final stop before reaching Nemrut was the former summer capital city of the Kommagene Kingdom, Arsameia. During the winter months, the entire city would move to warmer pastures. It's believed that the site was founded in the 3rd century BC, but most of the structures still visible today were constructed during King Antiochus I's reign.
Dimitri stressed that this place was more historically important than Nemrut and said it was sadly overlooked by most travellers.
The most impressive structure is the intact stone relief of King Antiochus I shaking hands with the mythical god Herakles. Other stone remnants show the king shaking hands with different gods around the site. He clearly saw himself as a God-like figure during his reign.
A large stone slab covered in ancient Greek inscriptions sits below the carving of the king and Herakles. This has helped archaeologists piece together much of the site's history. The inscription shows that during the city's golden days, there were palaces, ceremonial rooms, tombs and more god-like statues scattered across the area. It was an incredible place, and we had it all to ourselves!
Of course, Dimitri insisted on more photos here. I ended up getting quite a few pictures of him taking pictures of us during the day.
Mount Nemrut (or Nemrut Daği)
Finally, we started the steep ascent to our final stop: UNESCO-listed Mount Nemrut. Dimitri's small car chugged up the Eastern Taurus mountain range, which became sparser the higher we went. Before long, we had reached the parking lot and excitedly bounded out of the car.
It took about 20 minutes to walk to the eastern terrace. The famous statues of Mount Nemrut can be found on the west and east sides of the mountain. Thick clouds surrounded the slopes on our arrival, which dashed our hopes of seeing the sunset. Still, we marched on. Dimitri suggested we start at the eastern terrace before winding back to the west.
Our breaths were taken away, literally and figuratively, when we made it to the top! Five gigantic bodies and heads dominated the landscape, overlooking the valleys below. Snow covered the mountain behind them, making the scene even more magical.
Despite being constructed 2,000 years ago, so much detail was still preserved in the faces. The heads had fallen off the bodies and were now sitting underneath them. Once again, King Antichuous I has placed himself alongside some ancient Greek gods. He can be seen here sitting next to Zeus, Apollo, Herakles, and the goddess of fertility (or Tyche). There were also some eagle and lion heads!
The bodies of these statues are roughly eight to nine metres high! The heads alone are two to three metres tall. In their prime, the statues would have had an imposing and powerful presence over the Kommagene Kingdom. There's still little known about how these statues were built in the 1st century BC. No doubt, the mysteries of Mount Nemrut will continue to be unravelled in the many years to come.
From inscriptions, it is known that the king had this monument built for himself. And although no evidence has yet been found, it is believed that the area became his tomb when he died.
Nemrut is popular with visitors at sunrise and sunset, as the terraces become illuminated by the sun at different points in the day. Luckily for us, the clouds had started to disperse by the time we made our way to the western side for the sunset! So, we were treated to a spectacular golden hour here.
The faces were in an even better condition on this side of the mountain. The stone radiated in the sun, and so did we! We had finally made it, and the sunset was just a wonderful cherry on top.
A few more visitors had started to trickle up the mountain by the time we reached the west side. Still, it was very peaceful, and there couldn't have been more than 20 people visiting! Paddy and I basked in the glorious sunshine for a while before saying farewell to Nemrut and making our way back to Dimitri.
The return journey
We had a leisurely drive back to Kahta, stopping along the way to soak up more sunset views. Dimitri entertained us with some local music and singing while his poor car struggled down the steep descent, the brakes smoking at times. But we made it back in one piece, happy as Larry.
We bid farewell to Dimitri, promising to stay in touch. He had bought us some carved heads from Nemrut as a souvenir and wished us well on our journey home. We had a 14-hour bus ride to Ankara ahead of us, before making the inevitable return trip back to Australia. That bus ride was the longest and hottest of my life. I felt as though I was sitting in a sauna. But the views were very pretty! We saw snow-capped mountains and a vivid sunset on the way.
The trip to Nemrut really took a lot of energy out of us. We had previously battled a bout of COVID-19 and were still feeling quite lethargic. Still, it was completely worth it. Watching the vast landscape of Turkiye pass us by and soaking up history from one of the most incredible parts of the country was a dream. There's so much more to see in this part of the world, and I hope to come back for more in the future.
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