Apollo Mithras

Took the photo in 2024, top of Mount Nemrut, 2130m high.

The name of the statue is Apollo-Mithras. Apollo-Mithras is a synthesized deity that represents the ultimate fusion of Eastern and Western mythologies.

The Fusion: He combines the Greek god Apollo (god of light, music, and truth) with the Persian/Zoroastrian god Mithras (god of light, sun, and contracts).

The Purpose: King Antiochus I created this combined god in the 1st century BC to politically and religiously unite the Greek and Persian populations living within his kingdom.

The Symbolism: He represents cosmic light, truth, and the sun. On Mount Nemrut, his statue is sculpted with fine Greek facial features but wears a traditional Persian pointed tiara, visually locking the two empires together.

Photography taken in Adıyaman, Türkiye October, 2024 Edited in Ps

License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/