The Turkey Road Trip

Exploring and getting to know a country is incomplete until you have hit its road network. And today, we experienced the Turkey roads. Osman, the rental car guy dropped off the car for us yesterday for our 400 + mile, and 12 hour drive to Mount Nemrut and Sanliurfa. No GPS system, but with the map in Ugo's hands and car key in Paschal's hands, we loaded the luggage in the trunk, the kids in the back seat and off we went.

The exhilirating drive took us through very interesting and beautiful cities, from the Central to Eastern Turkey. Among the big cities we passed: Kayseri is very nice. Gas was quite pricey in Malatya (the Turkish jet shot down by the Syrian forces took off from here) as was a can of coca cola-- 2 Turkish Lira, then to Kahta, Adiyaman and Sanliurfa--the supposed birth place of Abraham.
 
Mount Nemrut (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

We then made it to top of Mount Nemrut. We all made it to the top of the mountain, rising more than 7000 ft from sea level. The colossus-like statues that King Antiochus I Theos of Commagene built on the mountain top for his tomb-sanctuary, flanked by huge statues 26–30 ft high of himself, two lions, two eagles and various gods in the year 65 BC is bizarre. He equated himself with gods, like some politicians/leaders we know. And more than 2,000 years later, this place remains a major tourist destination for the region.

It was quite windy up there. Since we had little children, we did not stay for the sun rise or sun set which everyone talked about. Scenes from Battle of the Titans were staged up here.

 Down from the mountain, we passed some other ancient ruins, including ruins of a hilltop castle at Eski Kahta built in the time of Alexander the Great:

 Cendere Roman Bridge built by Septemus Severus in the 2nd century AD. According to several sources This bridge was built approximately in 200 AD.  The bridge was built on the order of the Roman Emperor Septimus Severus in the name of his wife Julia Donma. Two of the four columns were erected for Caracalla and Geta,sons of the emperor; only the column of Caracalla is still standing. Later, after becoming the Emperor, Caracalla killed his brother Geta and had the column which was erected in his name removed. 

 Having conquered Mount Nemrut, we hit the road again, driving through Adiyaman, a beautiful city, with flower-lined highways. Then to Sanliurfa by 8:00 pm.