Adamkayalar

Among the compositions on the slope of the Adamkayalar reliefs, which are located within eleven separate frames, the most frequently repeated figures are those belonging to four funerary banquet scenes. In these scenes, the dead are shown either alone or together with their wives and sons. In the Adamkayalar reliefs, the sons of the dead and also two male reliefs were depicted as soldiers. Among these reliefs, near the middle section of the slope where the funerary banquets are located, just above the level of the lower platform, there is a composition consisting of an altar stone, a male figure on its left, a female figure on its right, and to the right of this figure, five steps carved into the rock for the purpose of performing a ritual while seated.

In another relief, a man is seen bringing a goat by holding it by the horns with his left hand and carrying a bunch of grapes in the other hand. In the farewell scene at Adamkayalar, the standing male representing the deceased shakes hands with his wife, who is shown seated. Within the compositions formed by these reliefs, there are also two more reliefs consisting of the figure of a man in a coat, whose function is not yet fully known, and the figure of another man carrying an object in his hand. The Adamkayalar reliefs have been dated to the 2nd century BC as a result of the examination of the inscriptions located beneath the scenes (it has been understood that the names of the deceased priests were written in these inscriptions). At the summit of the hill on the right before descending to the reliefs, within the not very well-known ruins, there is a tower structure and spaces with angular plans or without a regular shape, with single or cross vaults inside. A polygonal wall masonry system is generally seen. The presence of numerous sarcophagi is noteworthy.

Source: Mersin Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism archive.

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