Perre (Perrhe) Ancient City and Rock Tombs

The ancient city of Perre (Pirin), about 5 km from the centre of Adıyaman in the Örenli (Pirin) quarter, was one of the five major cities of the Kingdom of Commagene.

History

Mentioned in ancient sources alongside Samosata, Doliche and Marash, Perre lay on the historic road from Malatya (Melitene) to Samosata and, thanks to its abundant cool spring, served as a resting place for caravans and travellers. Perre is also valuable for its continuous settlement, with traces from the Palaeolithic through Roman and Byzantine times. In the Roman period Perre was refounded as 'Antiochia ad Taurum' (Antioch on the Taurus), and in Byzantine times it gained religious importance as a bishopric. The city's abundant spring made it a vital waystation for caravans on the Melitene-Samosata route, and this commercial vitality is reflected in the size of the necropolis and the variety of its tomb architecture.

Necropolis and Artefacts

Its most striking feature is a vast necropolis of hundreds of rock-cut chamber tombs; dated to the Roman period, these tombs with their single- and multi-chambered plans of varying sizes reflect the burial customs of the age. Some rock tombs have simple single-chamber plans, while others are monumental multi-chambered examples with funerary couches (kline) and decorated façades; this diversity allows the city's social stratification to be read. Another highlight is the stone-vaulted ancient Roman fountain that still flows; functioning for two thousand years, it symbolises the abundant spring that gave the city its importance. Excavations have uncovered a Byzantine basilica floor with mosaics, stretches of city wall, cisterns, and votive reliefs dedicated to Jupiter Dolichenus, some of which are displayed in the Adıyaman Museum.

Visiting & Access

Because it is close to the city and easily reached, Perre is a daytime stop visited together with the Adıyaman Museum on the central-city programme, usually forming part of the first-day city tour before the Nemrut-Kâhta loop begins. Visitors walk the paths among the rock tombs to explore the necropolis, see the water flowing from the Roman fountain, and enjoy the ease of discovering an ancient city so close to the centre. The site is arranged as an open-air museum with an entrance that tour buses can reach. Being just 5 km from the centre makes Perre Adıyaman's most accessible and most-visited ancient city; with guided commentary, visitors step into the world of travellers who drank from the same fountain two thousand years ago.