An early morning start for a few of us as we set out for an unscheduled short hike to, as Tijen our local guide puts it, the Eiffel tower of Adiyaman. The best part of a road trip is these unscheduled experiences that allow us to visit parts of the world off the beaten track.
Mount Nemrut or Nemrud is 2,134-metre-high mountain in southeastern Turkey, notable for the mausoleum of Antiochus, the ruler of the Commagene kingdom. Dating back to 1st century BC, it is one of the highest peaks in the east of the Taurus mountains. This monument is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Antiochus, was the ruler of the Commagene (pronounced Komma-gen) kingdom, post the age of Alexander. This was a small kingdom north of Syria, that believed in peace and tolerance for all communities and religions. The mausoleum isflanked by huge statues 8–9-metre high of Antiochus, two lions, two eagles, and combinations of Greek and Iranian gods, such as Heracles-Artagnes-Ares, Zeus-Oromasdes, and Apollo-Mithras-Helios-Hermes. The statues that were once seated are tall and magnificent to behold. At some point the heads of the statues were removed from their bodies, and they are now scattered throughout the site. Guiding us thru this monument, was Mahmood a history teacher, who explained the lions represented power on the ground and the eaglespower in the air.
Prof. Mahmood a Kurd by birth, also gave us some insight into the peoples of Kurdistan and their contributions to history.
Hiking up the mountain as the sunrise glanced off our faces in the cool mountain air, I took a deep breath in and smiled thinking how lucky I was to be here, looking over the rounded Taurus mountains to see the river Euphrates shimmering like gold in the distance.
On our way down we met a German couple, Ela and Dan, their 7 year old daughter, Zoe, and 2 beautiful dogs Merlin and Luna, driving a caravan from Germany to Nepal, via Pakistan and India. Charming and warm, they allowed us to glance into the camper van to get a glimpse of their life for the next year as they take a slow route to Asia.
You can follow their journey by clicking on the link below. We fellow road trippers wish them so much luck and a safe journey.
We set off for Cappadocia soon after. Once Adiyaman was behind us, we avoided the motorway and took the less travelled country roads. What greeted us was a silky mountain road with curvy bends, rolling hills, virtually no traffic, endless beauty, and a cloudless sky. Today was all that road trips are about. Driving with such beauty around is why I prefer slow travel, I get to see so much of the world with my own eyes.
We had our eye on the fuel gauge since morning, but the beauty of Central Turkey, literally had us mesmerized. On realizing we only had a fuel range of less than 40kms, we made a quick refueling stop for both the car and our tummies. Some fresh baked bread, salads, lentil soup and beautiful kebabs, at a local Turkish “dhaba” in a small mountain town, is exactly what we needed.
That evening, we arrived in perhaps one of Turkey’s most visited regions, Cappadocia. Dinner on the rooftop at the wonderful Prokopi restaurant in Urgup. Lovely food and excellent service, I’d highly recommend Prokopi. The eveningwas good fun with yet another birthday celebration for our dearest Prachur. So young but so wise, he is the glue that holds us together on our trips.
Happy birthday dear friend, wishing you much joy and infinite travels!
https://instagram.com/team_globulli?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= – follow Ela, Dan, Zoe with Merlin and Luna.
https://g.co/kgs/hJTbJF – Propkopi, Urgup, Cappodocia.
The Jasmine trails 