Mount Nemrut is located at the heart of what was the Kingdom of Commagene: the Armenian kingdom of the Yervanduni dynasty, that carved its place in history from the living rock, often referred to as the “Throne of the Gods”.
King Antiochus I, representative of the younger branch of the Armenian royal Orontid Dynasty (Yervanduni), built a tomb and status to pagan gods and himself on Nemrut Mount. The tomb where Antiochus I is buried is situated on the pick of the mountain, (2,134-meter-high (7,001 ft)).
Monuments to Aramazd, Anahit, Mihr, Tir, and Vahagn, each of them about 9 m heightinheight, are situated to the West and East of the tomb. Among the monuments of his own and the gods, Antiochus also built statues of a lion and an eagle – the symbols of the kingdom – while the images of Antiochus’ ancestors are pictured on the cliffs near the monuments.
The complex of monuments to Armenian pagan gods on Mount Nemrut in Turkey remains the focus of tourists, visiting the state. Both the guides and the info tables do not mention anything about Armenians but only contain information about the names of Greek gods.
In 1987, Mount Nemrut was made a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
