Taşlıca

Leaving Atatürk Dam behind, we crossed the provincial line and entered Adıyaman. Here, our first stop was at an archaeological site in the Kâhta District — Karakuş Tumulus … our first contact with the Kingdom of Commagene (163 BC - 72 AD).

Karakuş means “black bird” in Turkish. It is thought that the tumulus was so named due to a column that is topped with a now much-eroded eagle statue. The approximately 65-foot high cone-shaped funerary mound consists of pebbles and rocks from nearby creeks and rivers.

Based on inscriptions found on Doric columns at the site, archaeologists have determined that the tumulus was built in 30-20 BC by Mithridates II, the fifth Commagene king, as a memorial tomb for his mother, Isias; his sister, Antiochis; and Antiochis’s daughter, Aka.

The Kingdom of Commagene was annexed in 72 AD by the Roman Emperor Vespasian. It is believed that the vault of the tomb was looted at that time.

There’s really not much to see at the tumulus, but we had an ulterior motive for visiting … it is one of the best places from which to photograph Mount Nemrut … which we did by circumnavigating the tumulus.Read more