Orion Dawn Over Mount Nemrut
			
		
		
		
			What's that in front of Orion?
Forty kilometers north of 
Kahta, 
Turkey, 
lies 
Mount Nemrut, a mountain adorned with the fragments of vast statues built over 2000 years ago.  
The 
stone sculptures 
once stood nearly 10 meters high and depicted lions, 
eagles, 
various ancient 
gods, and 
King Antiochus I Theos, who ruled 
Commagene 
from 86 BC to 38 BC.
Ruins of the bodies of several sitting 
figures are visible on the hill above, illuminated by 
moonlight.
Zeus' 
head can be found near the above image's center, 
while the king's head is seen next closest to the horizon. 
 
Visible far in the distance in 
this image, taken three months ago, is the familiar 
constellation of Orion.  
The red patch just below 
Orion's belt is the 
Orion Nebula, 
while the bright star to the left of Orion is 
Sirius.  
On the far left, a red and brightening horizon announces that the Sun is beginning to rise.