AP PHOTOS: Stargazers watch meteors at ancient Turkish site

ADIYAMAN, Turkey (AP) — Stargazers gathered to observe the Perseid meteor bathe amongst historical statues atop Mount Nemrut in southeastern Turkey.

Tons of spent the evening on the UNESCO World Heritage Website for the annual meteor present that stretches alongside the orbit of the comet Swift–Tuttle.

Perched at an altitude of two,150 meters (over 7,000 ft), the statues are a part of a temple and tomb complicated that King Antiochus I, of the traditional Commagene kingdom, constructed as a monument to himself. A 50-meter-high (164-foot-high), man-made mound — the presumed tomb of Antiochus — units the background.

The traditional website that features big 10-meter (33-foot)-high, seated statues of Antiochus, surrounded by historical Gods, together with Zeus and Apollo, was found in 1881 by a German engineer. Excavations started there within the Fifties.

Son of the founding father of the Commagene kingdom, Antiochus reigned between 64 and 38 B.C., till he was deposed by the Romans. The dominion spanned an space from the japanese fringe of the Taurus mountains to the Euphrates River.

Folks climb as much as the traditional website for its jaw-dropping dawn and sunsets. It’s additionally a favourite spot for stargazers. The meteor bathe coincided with a full moon this 12 months that dimmed the meteors, however supplied its personal magnificence for the watchers.