Situated on the Arsameia antique road, Nemrut mount of 2206 meters in height, looms over the territory in the southeastern Turkey. It is notable for the group of large statues on the summit, which is assumed to be a royal tomb from the 1st century BC. King Antiochus I (who reigned over Commagene ) built here a pantheon, which can be traced back through two sets of legends, Greek and Persian. The tomb-sanctuary was flanked by huge statues 8–9 m of him, lions, eagles and various Greek, Armenian, and Iranian gods. Unfortunately, the heads of the statues have at some stage been removed from their bodies, and they are now scattered throughout the site. The site was excavated in 1881 by Karl Sester, a German engineer assessing transport routes for the Ottomans. The mausoleum is one of the most ambitious constructions of the Hellenistic period, unfortunately, the harsh climate at the summit of Mount Nemrut has eroded the stones and the complex is in need of conservation.
