CHANGES IN MOUNT NEMRUT AREA

Turkish Daily News
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Turkey

The ruins zone around Mt. Nemrut in the southeastern city of
Adıyaman is to become a new Turkish tourism brand with the help
of the Kommagene-Nemrut Protection and Development Program. The aim
is to rearrange the environment and to cover the splits on the high
statues of gods located in the zone

GAZÄ°ANTEP – Anatolia News Agency

The ruins around Mount Nemrut in the southeastern Adıyaman province
are set to become a site for tourism, with the help of a new
development program undertaken by the tourism ministry and academics.

The Oren zone around Mount Nemrut is already on the U.N. Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization’s World Culture Heritage list,
and now, as part of the Kommagene Nemrut Protection and Development
Program, Middle East Technical University, or METU, and the Culture
and Tourism Ministry will conduct relevant research in the area until
2010, according to Neriman Å~^ahin Guchan, assistant professor in
the METU Faculty of Architecture.

Noting that the aim of the initiative is to transform the environment
and to cover the cracks on the high statues of gods located in
the ruins, Guchan said, "We prepared a project and it received
approval. Application projects are on the bids now."

MODERN SERVING HOUSE

Stating that a modern serving house will be built in the ruins area,
Guchan explained: "There is a social facility in the area to be
destroyed and transformed into a festival area. A new and modern
serving house will be built instead, including three big exhibition
halls, a lounge, souvenir shops and an audiovisual hall. Documentaries
about Mt. Nemrut will be presented in the hall. Upon arriving in
the serving house, guests will leave their cars in the parking lot,
as private cars are not allowed in the area. Instead, they will be
transported by public mini buses."

Guchan said the use of smart tokens will be very useful in terms of
monitoring the number of visitors and added that security and tour
guides will be present to prevent the monuments from being damaged.

DAMAGE ON THE STATUES

"It is not true that the statues of the Mount Nemrut are any more
damaged than any others in Turkey. When we compare the pictures
from 100 years ago, we see there is no big difference between them,"
said Guchan.

Noting that the team plans to restore the statues as part of the
program extension, Guchan explained: "We will be in Adıyaman between
July 23 and August 10. We will make our studies on how to protect
the ruins’ environment and how to repair the statues’ damage. We will
prepare a mixture and use it on the splits."

The Mount Nemrut Scientific Committee Council Meeting will be held
June 29-30 in Oren. Studies on mending the statues will be selected
by the committee members.

8th Wonder of the World

Mt. Nemrut, also known as the "Eighth Wonder of the World" or "The
Throne of the Gods," lies 66 kilometers north of the town Kahta,
near Adıyaman. In 62 B.C. King Antiochus I Theos of Commagene
built on the mountaintop a tomb-sanctuary flanked by huge statues
(eight to nine meters high) of himself, two lions, two eagles and
various Greek, Armenian and Persian gods and heroes, such as Hercules,
Zeus-Oromasdes (associated with the Persian god Ahura Mazda), Tyche
and Apollo-Mithras. These statues were once seated, with the name of
each god inscribed on them.

The site also preserves stone slabs with bas-relief figures that
are thought to have formed a large frieze. These stones depict the
ancestors of Antiochus, including Macedonians and Persians.

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