One of the pearls in the culture of the Armenian people is the Pantheon of Armenian Pagan Gods, located on the top of Mount Nemrut, which is located in the southwestern part of historical Armenia (modern Turkey).

Gigantic statues of Gods in the sanctuary on the top of the mountain - is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built more than 2,000 years ago, these shrines, according to the complexity of their construction, are recognized by some specialists as the Eighth Wonder of the World.

For any tourist who decides to climb Nemrut Mountain, there is an unwritten rule: on the top of the mountain you must meet sunrise or sunset. And the most important thing - don't forget to take warm clothes with you, because before dawn and after the sunset it's very cold on the mountain, even in the middle of summer.

The history of the place, from the point of view of the archeologists, begins in 62 BC. After the peace treaty with Rome concluded in Artashat in 66 BC, the Armenian Kamakh (Commagene) becomes an independent kingdom, and the Antioch I Teos from the Armenian Orontid dynasty becomes the King of Commagene Kingdom.

Antioch I of Teos was crowned with an Armenian crown, handed to him from the hands of the “King of kings” Tigran II the Great. In 62 BC, by the order of the King, a sanctuary was built on Mount Nemrut (height 2,143 meters), surrounded by huge statues of Armenian Pagan Gods each about 8-9 meters high.

There is also the tomb of King Antioch in there. The central part of the tomb is a massive mound made of small stones, the height of which is almost 50 meters, with the radius of 150 meters.

Among the monuments of the Armenian Gods, the five majestic seated statues are present here. In the very center is a statue of the Supreme God, the creator of Heaven and Earth, Aramazd, which has a height of 9 meters.

To the right of Aramazd stands the statue of the Goddess Astghik - in Armenian mythology, the Goddess of Love and Beauty.

On the other side of Aramazd, the statue of Mihr, the God of Light and Justice, was placed. According to the legend, Mihr was born to the world from a rock naked, but with a covered head, holding a dagger in his right hand, and a torch in his other hand, with which he illuminated the world for the first time, destroying its darkness and spreading the light to the Earth.

Right from the troits of the main gods is the creator of this shrine - the King Antioch of Teos. On the other side, there is a statue of Vaagn - the ancient Armenian God of Fire, Wars and Thunderstorms.

A bitter feeling of loss haunts Armenians today when they are forced to come to their shrines as tourists. Official Turkey does not mention Armenians anywhere when describing this mountain and miraculous monuments. Both on the plates and in the stories of the local guides, only the Greek names of gods are called...