Nemrut Dağı

Now well-known as one of the most extraordinary sites in Turkey: a tomb-temple at the top of a mountain, 2200m above sea level. It was erected by King Antiochus of the Commagenes in the first century BC, at a time when that was a wealthy kingdom of fertile land on a trade route.

There is a row of seated gods and kings on each of the two flanks of the central tumulus: west and east. All the heads have fallen down from their bodies over the centuries and are now strewn around. The sculptures are basic: we’re not talking Michelangelo here, nor would Ramesses have been impressed. The seated bodies, mainly still intact on the eastern flank, look like they were built from lego by a giant. But the spectacular location, and the sheer oddity of the mix of human and animal heads (the eagles looking particularly regal), leave a lasting impression. The tumulus has never been excavated.