Eflatun Pınar in Lykaonia

 

     
 

 

   

 
   

Eflatun Pınar (Turkish for Plato's Source or Lila Source), also Eflatunpınar, is a Hittite Source Shrine. A 7 metre wide and 4.2 metre high façade of plastically designed stone blocks rises on the northern side of a dammed spring pond whose bricked edge surrounds an almost square water surface of 30 × 34 metres.

 
   

 
   

The complex probably dates from the time of the Hittite empire between the 15th and 13th centuries BC. It is composed of individual stone blocks and has a width of seven metres and a height of seven metres together with the temporarily underwater base.

 
   

 
The bottom row  

 

 

The bottom row consists of five mountain gods, which can only be seen at low water levels. In the middle you can see the main god and goddess, but there is uncertainty about their identity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

They are flanked by various hybrid beings whose function is unknown. Together they carry a winged sun disk lying above everything.

 

 

 
 
The Bull Sculptures  

 

 

A few metres from the south-east corner of the pond, a stone block with three bull sculptures was erected again. Probably the monumental block remained here without having reached its originally planned location. In the vicinity of the pond there are still various parts of sculptures and other fragments to be seen, which suggests that it was once a larger sanctuary.

 

 

 

Prehistorians disagreed about the purpose of the monument. James Mellaart, British prehistorian, † July 29, 2012, saw in Eflatun Pınar an Arzawa Shrine with thunder god and sun goddess, Kurt Bittel, German prehistorian and excavator of the Hittite royal city of Hattusha, † January 30, 1991, but considered it a victory monument from the time of Tudhalija IV. (13th century B.C.).
The relief of Fasıllar about 30 km southeast was possibly planned as an additional part for Eflatun Pınar.

 
     
     
Photos: @chim, Monika P.    
Translation aid: www.DeepL.com/Translator    
Source: Wikipedia and others