Nemrut Dagh

Forgotten tomb

Turkey would be visited by tens of research expeditions every year but until 1880 none of them responded to hints from local people related to stone, man-made statues installed on the top of Nemrud Mount. At that time, the scientists just rejected the idea of a yet-uncovered site. In addition, they could not believe that in the ancient times something that big and heavy would be ever erected on the top of the mountain that tall.

Karl Sester, explorer

In 1880 the Turk government hired a German engineer Karl Sester to explore the area around the Nemrud mountain for the purpose of building new roads across Turkey. Following from the stories he heard from the natives, Karl Sester decided to climb the top of Nemrud, where he really discovered fractions of ancient Turk culture combined with elements in Greek style. Immediately he contacted the Archaeologic Academy in Berlin and provided a detailed description of the site. Despite the comprehensive details the report was considered the nonsense and no action was initiated.

Expedition 1881

It was in 1881 when people got to the idea that - similarly to the unexpected discovery of Troy, this site could be an unknown historical site, too. The expedition, in the head with Karl Sester and Otto Puchstein, headed for Nemrut Dagh to explore it in every detail. The results from the research revealed that the site is the tomb of King Antiochos.

The secret of the royal tomb

The temple, or rather the fractions of the temple that was destroyed by frequent earthquake, used to be 50 metres high. The research activities in the area of Nemrut Dagh is still in progress. Perhaps the biggest challenge for archaeologists is the tomb itself - as it has not been discovered yet. According to the information available now, the tomb hides immense treasures that had been given to King Antiochos for the journey to eternity. It is believed that the tomb is located deep under the temple, in inside the Nemrud Mount.