Legends passed on by word of mouth
Residence of the GodsMount Argeus in Cappadocia

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Another “Point of View”

The Argeus Legend

Its  unique location affords Uçhisar a most astonishing view, a panorama visible not only from the kale, the top of Uçhisar Castle, but also from the terraces of the houses. Walking through the narrow streets, you frequently suddenly come to a gap in the walls. Through this frame, like that of a painting, the view changes. These are pictures made by nature at her most impressive.

In the distance is the peak of the Erciyes Dağı, at 3917meters, the highest mountain of the region. The old name for this mountain is “Argeus”, the Residence of the Gods.

The ancient inhabitants of Cappadocia regularly made the arduous ascent to Mount Argeus to make their sacrifice to their gods. When the upright people, carrying their gifts and led by their priest, reached the top of the Residence of Gods, they were rewarded by a beautiful view over their homeland. One day, when the priest cast his eyes over the presents, he became very greedy and tried to keep these from the gods.  His greed did not go unnoticed; the gods, furious at this disrespectful behaviour, decided to punish the priest. They took his eyesight.Without their priest, how would it be possible now for the people of Cappadocia to make their sacrifices?

The gods did not want to miss the gifts either, so a semi-human god-servant was created who from then on went down to the faithful to collect their donations to their gods.

Because of the irrevocable mistake of the dishonest priest, nobody ever went back to visit “The Residence of the Gods.”

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