For 2,000 years, a 12-metre high ancient Roman obelisk has stood majestically and defying time on the outskirts of İznik, ancient Nicea, a historic walled city located on the shores of Lake İznik in northwestern Turkey. Popularly known as “Beştaş”, “Dikilitaş” or “Nişantaşı”, the obelisk is surrounded by olive trees and located just outside the town of Elbeyli, about 5 km north of İznik; built next to the ancient Roman road that linked İznik (Nicaea) with İzmit (Nicomedia), the obelisk is part of a monumental tomb, and on it can be read an inscription in Greek (the language spoken by Romans in the eastern provinces of the Empire) that says: “Gaius Cassius Philis, son of Gaius Cassius Axlepiodotos, lived 83 years, lies here.”
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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