Lisa's Travel Photos

Eastern Mediterranean

Turkey #5

Native rock monument, "Midas City", Turkey

"Midas City" (or Midassehri in Turkish) was a major city of the Phrygians, who occupied this part of central Anatolia around 700 BC, and whose most famous king was Midas himself (though no doubt the later myths about him exaggerate). To find it, you first have to go to a part of Turkey that is quite obscure (as far as tourists go), then drive several miles down dirt roads (and get lost a few times), but it's worth it. The city was built on top of a plateau with odd natural rock formations, and they carved some of their monuments out of the native rock (which is good because there's nothing else left there after all this time). The monuments are in a style that seems quite alien to us modern folks; it's a weird-feeling place. This particular monument has been dubbed "The Throne of Midas", but that's no doubt fanciful (it's more likely a shrine of some sort).