Tags
Anatolia, Cybele, Ephemera, Manisa, Mount Sipylus, Mountains, old photographs, Postcard, Turkey
Cybele.
This postcard intrigued me and a certain on-line encyclopaedia informs me that the relief is thought to be of Cybele, an Anatolian Mother goddess, and that it is carved into the Side of Mount Sipylus, overlooking the city of Manisa in Turkey. Have you seen it? It looks quite something, despite it being faceless; almost headless! I also like the gentlemen photographed either side of the relief, an incredibly relaxed looking mountaineer (a Frenchman? The postcard is French) and a bearded, cassock wearing, priest (possibly of the Orthodox tradition). The reverse of the postcard is blank.
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Hello. Do you own this postcard? If so, I would be quite interested in knowing whether it is for sale. I am nearing completion of a novel about two researchers who go missing in Turkey about a hundred years apart while trying to track down the origins of the Kybele cult (The Phrygians and Greeks spelled her name with a K, the Romans with a C). The site of the statue depicted in the postcard provides an important setting in the book so I recently trekked to it with my wife and daughters while living abroad. Getting close is quite an undertaking and not for the faint of heart or clumsy of foot. If curious, you can read an account of the journey in a blog post I wrote about the experience here:http://underanatolianskies.blogspot.com/2015/06/lost-and-found-and-lost-again.html
Needless to say, the postcard would make for a lovely keepsake for my family.
-Michael
What a fascinating story! I do own this postcard and would be happy to discuss terms regarding parting with it, as it holds no sentimental value to me. Why not e-mail at mboyington84gy@outlook.com so we can discuss the matter more privately?
Yours Sincerely,
Matthew
aka Mr. B 🙂