Nemrut Dagi: land of big stone heads

Now, really, who doesn't love a big, disembodied stone head? These really big heads, which have long since toppled off their bodies, were built by a pre-Roman king who believed that the gods presented were his relatives.

There are actually two sets of statues, one on the West side and the other on the East. In between is a 50 m artificial mountain of crushed rock believed to cover the king's tomb and perhaps that of up to three female relatives, but no one's dug in to check. Having on terrace on each side makes it handy for tours - you go up to 'ooh' and 'ahh' at the West side for sunset, then early the next morning you do the same thing on the East side. There are a few nice differences on the two sides, with the bodies still visible on the East side, and the heads retaining more detail on the West side.

Nemrut Dagi is one of Turkey's three most popular sights, after Istanbul and Cappadocia. After visiting, I can see why - there is something a little magical about the place, though the ruins are small and pretty 'what you see is what you get'. Or maybe that's the early dawn talking...