Eflatun Pınar ( tr, Eflatunpınar, ) is the name given to a spring, which rises up from the ground, and the stone-built pool monument built at the time of the

Hittite Empire The Hittites () were an Anatolian people who played an important role in establishing first a kingdom in Kussara (before 1750 BC), then the Kanesh or Nesha kingdom (c. 1750–1650 BC), and next an empire centered on Hattusa in north-centr ...

. The spring lies inside the Lake Beyşehir National Park, west of

Konya Konya () is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium (), although the Seljuks also called it ...

, and drains into

Lake Beyşehir Lake Beyşehir ( tr, Beyşehir Gölü; anciently, Carallis or Karallis ( grc, Κάραλλις), or Caralis or Karalis (Κάραλις)) is a large freshwater lake in Isparta and Konya provinces in southwestern Turkey. It is located at around and ...

in central

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

at ancient

Pisidia Pisidia (; grc-gre, Πισιδία, ; tr, Pisidya) was a region of ancient Asia Minor located north of Pamphylia, northeast of Lycia, west of Isauria and Cilicia, and south of Phrygia, corresponding roughly to the modern-day province of Ant ...

region. During the

Late Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

, a

sacred pool Sacred waters are sacred natural sites characterized by tangible topographical land formations such as rivers, lakes, springs, reservoirs, and oceans, as opposed to holy water which is water elevated with the sacramental blessing of a cleric. ...

monument was built here in

trachyte Trachyte () is an extrusive igneous rock composed mostly of alkali feldspar. It is usually light-colored and aphanitic (fine-grained), with minor amounts of mafic minerals, and is formed by the rapid cooling of lava enriched with silica and al ...

ashlar masonry dedicated to the sacred spring cult of ancient Hittites. The monument was interpreted as a shrine to

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

during the medieval (Seljuk) period.

Overview

Eflatun Pınar's location near the lake shore corresponds to an almost exact level with other important ruins on the opposite shore, those of Kubadabad Palace, which were built by

Seljuk Seljuk or Saljuq (سلجوق) may refer to: * Seljuk Empire (1051–1153), a medieval empire in the Middle East and central Asia * Seljuk dynasty (c. 950–1307), the ruling dynasty of the Seljuk Empire and subsequent polities * Seljuk (warlord) (di ...

s. Eflatun Pınar was briefly examined by the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

archaeologist Dr. Lucia Nixon in her paper on

Çatalhöyük Çatalhöyük (; also ''Çatal Höyük'' and ''Çatal Hüyük''; from Turkish ''çatal'' "fork" + ''höyük'' "tumulus") is a tell of a very large Neolithic and Chalcolithic proto-city settlement in southern Anatolia, which existed from app ...

, and she makes use of F.W.Hasluck's early-20th century work. The site remains largely unexplored to date. According to ArchaeoNews, Eflatun Pınar "designates the most south-westerly point of the Hittite expansion. The uniqueness of this place is also demonstrated by the fact that this is one of the few discovered places where the Hittites presented human figures from the front." Eflatun Pınar has been on the Tentative UNESCO World Heritage list since 2014. The spring produces cold and clear water. The Turkish name means 'lilac coloured or violet spring', though its name actually means Plato's Spring, stemming from the association between Plato and Konya since Selcuk times. The monument shows "a hierarchical image of the Hittite Pantheon represented on it", according to the UNESCO World Heritage site. The image depicts "five mountain gods with the characteristic skirts with scales forming the bottom row of the fully excavated main monument". Above these are seated a male and female "divine couple", probably representing the storm god and sun goddess, Tarhunna and

Arinniti The Sun goddess of Arinna, also sometimes identified as Arinniti or as Wuru(n)šemu, is the chief goddess and companion of the weather god Tarḫunna in Hittite mythology. She protected the Hittite kingdom and was called the "Queen of all lands." ...

. The same figures are probably also represented on the Southern and Eastern walls. Aside from these main images, "several sculptures of reclined animals were found in the filler of the basin, it concerned probably the execution of lions, deers and bulls. This rich supply of sculptures adds to already more long well known remainder of a twin animals group. Votive miniature ceramic vessels very similar to those found in Bogazkoy Hattusa ponds were also uncovered inside the basin together with one bronze pin." According to Somewhere Wonderful, "The site has recently been ‘improved’ by Konya’s museum service; in a crass mix of the twee and the totalitarian its operatives have installed willow-pattern wooden bridges while a barbed-wire fence with concrete uprights keeps the cattle out."

References

External links

Anthropology, Archaeology and Heritage in the Balkans and Anatolia

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eflatun Pinar Beyşehir District Hittite sites in Turkey Pisidia World Heritage Tentative List for Turkey Landforms of Konya Province Hittite art Holy springs of Turkey