Tourism season opens at Mount Nemrut

ADIYAMAN

The tourism season has officially commenced at the majestic Mount Nemrut, a UNESCO World Heritage Site nestled within southeastern province Adıyaman’s Kahta district, hosting its first visitors.

As provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism teams, alongside students from a local high school, welcomed visitors with carnations, Deputy Governor Mehmet Tığlı expressed optimism for a bustling season ahead at the Tourism Week event in the city, anticipating a surge in visitors to the renowned historical landmark.

He noted that the tourism sector, which was disrupted by last year’s earthquakes, recovered quickly in the region.

"Our region has experienced a tremendous earthquake. Although there was a slight decrease in the number of tourists due to these earthquakes, with the normalization process, it gained its former momentum swiftly," he stated.

In Adıyaman, where many historical buildings were damaged in the massive temblors, the Culture and Tourism Ministry started restoration works immediately.

Despite initial setbacks, Mount Nemrut and other historical marvels in the city witnessed a remarkable resurgence of interest during the recent nine-day Eid holiday, attracting 45,000 local and foreign tourists, according to Tığlı.

Tourists flocked to the site to marvel at the towering statues of the Commagene civilization, and the Hierotheseion (temple-tomb and house of the gods) built by the late Hellenistic King Antiochos I (69-34 B.C.) as a monument to himself, perched at an altitude of 2,200 meters.

In 2022, efforts to preserve the historical treasures of Mount Nemrut saw scientists employing innovative "nano lime" to fill tiny cracks in the monumental stone statues, which has proven to be successful.

Renowned for offering breathtaking sunrise and sunset views, Mount Nemrut captivated the hearts of both local and foreign visitors.

Erkan Ölmez, who came from Samsun, expressed awe at the mesmerizing spectacle and said, "I came for the first time to watch the sunset, it is very beautiful and worth seeing."

Echoing sentiments of admiration, Meltem Yılmaz, a visitor from Istanbul, marveled at the beauty of Mount Nemrut.

It is magnificent. I have traveled to many parts of the world, I have been to many parts of Europe, I have never seen anything like this. It is really impressive, fascinating," she said.

While Simon Psibest, a globetrotter from France who has been traveling around Türkiye with Diane Bciac for a month, said, "We came by bicycle from France. We had an extremely difficult time going up, but what we saw was magnificent and worth it."