Midas Monument (Yazilikaya)

The Midas Monument is the largest and most spectacular Phrygian rock-cut facade, carved into a cliff at Yazılıkaya in Eskisehir Province, Turkey, at over 1,300 metres elevation. Standing nearly 18 metres high with a 16-metre square facade, it dates to the 7th-6th century BC and imitates the Phrygian megaron architectural form. The pediment and walls are decorated with elaborate geometric patterns surrounding a central niche that once held a statue of the Mother Goddess Cybele (Phrygian Matar). An Old Phrygian inscription records a dedication by Ates to Mida, a name later misidentified as the legendary King Midas but actually a surname of Cybele.