The gate of Turkey has to be Istanbul, but after entered the country, what to look for to begin the visit?
History, of course. And Archaeology, the footprint of history.
But the Land of the Turks is so rich of both, its History goes so far behind that it is hard to choose a landmark worth the beginning of an exploration, even only a photographic, no-pretense one.
When Hector and Achilles duelled in Çanakkale plains, ruined cities layed already under thousands years old dust. And less than one century ago, the Ottoman version of the Eastern Roman Empire, founded by Mehmet II Fatih, was still a Great Power.
So, even for archaeological remains, Turkey is a melting pot. The very definition of "East" and "West" are confused, and the boundary between them has never been a thin line.
But far to the East, where Anatolia fades into Middle East, and Asia is no longer "minor", there is a place where they melted for a long time, and where their clashes produced a remarkable civilization.
Even that distant realm's name is now forgotten by most, but monumental remains are still there, to remind travellers venturing that far, the name and the power of the kings of Commagene.
Commagene was the result of empires disgregations and confrontations. Its kings were descendants of both Darius and Alexander, its culture the best of Greek and Persian heritage. And its immense richness, coveted by Romans, were owed to its position, where the Silk Road crossed the valleys that commanded Mesopotamia, the heart of Persian Empire and then of Alexander's conquests.
It sounds like the perfect blend of Turkey's oddities, and it also produced unique relics.
Nemrut Dağı, the mount Nemrut, is such a peculiar place that even among the countless Turkish archaeological sites, it stands like one of its kind.
A good beginning, for a photographic exploration. But to explore a place, it must first be reached...
