Mount Sipylus
Spil DaÄı â overlooking the city, Mount Sipylus 1,513 m/4,964 ft is a popular weekend retreat for locals, and features dense forests, wild tulips, and beautiful scenery. Sipylus is also one of the few places in this region which regularly sees snow in winter. On the side of the mountain is a full-faced statue of Cybele, the mother goddess of many ancient Anatolian civilizations, carved into a rocky cliff, dating back to Hittites. Also closeby, facing the city, is the "weeping rock" aÄlayan kaya, a rock on the top of a cliff resembling a face, complete with water flow "tears" coming out of the "eyes". The myth has it that, this was Niobe, who had her daughters killed by Artemis, her sons killed by Apollo, and her husband killed himself, so she walked away to the mountain and cried unceasingly until she petrified.
