Nemrut, Turkey

I'd been exchanging postcards with Gokce in Turkey for a while, but then suddenly they stopped. I can only imagine that either one of her or mine got lost. I hate it when that happens. :S Anyway, I sent her another card some time ago and this time she received it, and I got this one from her soon after. :)




The card shows Nemrut Dağ, a Unesco site in south east of Turkey. The mausoleum of Antiochus I (69–34 B.C.), who reigned over Commagene, a kingdom founded north of Syria and the Euphrates after the breakup of Alexander's empire, is one of the most ambitious constructions of the Hellenistic period. The syncretism of its pantheon, and the lineage of its kings, which can be traced back through two sets of legends, Greek and Persian, is evidence of the dual origin of this kingdom's culture.



I had totally forgotten that Turkey is still considered a European country when it coms to stamps. *facepalm* I'm very happy as this means another new addition to my small collection of this year's Europa stamps - the theme this year is children's books. This stamp is from a set of two.