Arslankaya phrygian rock monument - a photo on Flickriver

            although roughly 3000 years has taken it's toll  you can still make out the two lion carvings under the point of the roof, well up close and personal you can.

One of the most impressive free-standing monuments in the Phrygian Valley is the so-called Arslankaya i.e. the Lion's Rock. This religious sanctuary from the mid-sixth century BC was dedicated to the goddess Cybele, one of the most prominent figures of the Phrygian pantheon. Arslankaya owes its discovery to the Western world to William M. Ramsey, a Scottish archaeologist. He found this place and thoroughly described it in 1884. In 1997, another study of Arslankaya was conducted by T. Tüfekçi-Sivas. Arslankaya got its name because of the reliefs depicting two lions. They were carved in characteristic, alone standing rock of volcanic origin, measuring 15 meters in height. At its southeast wall, there is a wonderful carved façade with a height of over 7 meters and a width of 6.6 meters. It rises 2.75 meters above ground level. The façade has a form resembling an entrance to the temple with a triangular pediment. The whole monument communicates a sense of depth and lightness, despite its monumental size. The pediment is decorated with bas-relief figures of two sphinxes. The monument also has a one-line inscription in Paleo-Phrygian language. The surface of the rock surrounding the niche is decorated with geometric patterns. The central niche, in the central part of the façade, is the most important part of the monument. It is surrounded by two frames and has a size of 2.4 to 1.8 meters. The researchers speculate that once the niche could be enclosed with double doors. A statue of the goddess Cybele, surrounded by two lions facing each other, used to stand in the niche. The goddess was represented in the form of convex relief. She was facing the faithful, and on her head she was wearing so-called polos i.e. a high cylindrical headdress that reached to the ceiling of the niche. The lions, presented in the form of a flat relief, are standing on their hind legs, and their paws once touched the statue of the goddess Cybele. Lions' heads are now severely damaged, but the outline of their bodies is clearly visible. On the rock walls on both sides of the façade, there are additional decorations. On the right side, there is a large low relief of a lion standing on its hind legs, and on the left side - a mythical griffin. Arslankaya is particularly important for researchers as a unique Phrygian sanctuary in the form of a niche with a very richly decorated facade. Unfortunately, this monument is in no way protected from destruction. Its degradation is due to weather conditions and treasure hunters. Their actions have left traces in the form of drilled holes in the rock where they used to place explosives. Moreover, in 1993, the explosion damaged the niche and the right side of the façade, and in 1994 the statue of the goddess Cybele was destroyed by vandals using pickaxes. Currently, we can only see this statue in old photographs.

Taken in: Turkey / Afyonkarahisar / İhsaniye (show map)

Taken on: March 20, 2015

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Sets appears in: • Phrygian Valley, Turkey • Arslankaya rock monument more » • Random phrygian/byzantine/hittite sites • TURKEY • black & whites « less

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Camera: Canon EOS REBEL T3i, f/5.6, 1/800 sec, 18mm, ISO 800 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS REBEL T3i
Lens:	EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Aperture:	f/5.6
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/800)
Focal Length:	18mm
ISO:	800
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4.4 (Windows)
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