İvriz Rock Relief (Luwian Neo-Hittite)

The Ivriz Rock Relief is a monumental Luwian Neo-Hittite carving cut into a natural cliff face beside a spring at Ivriz village, near the town of Eregli in Konya Province, at the northeastern edge of the broader Karaman region of south-central Turkey. Carved in the 8th century BCE, the relief depicts Warpalawas, king of Tyana (the Luwian kingdom of Tuwanuwa), standing in a posture of veneration before the storm god Tarhunzas, who holds a bunch of grapes and an ear of wheat — attributes symbolising the agricultural fertility that the spring waters of Ivriz were thought to guarantee. The two figures are approximately three metres in height and rendered in raised relief against the living rock face; the king wears a pointed headdress and a fringed ceremonial robe, while Tarhunzas is shown with the distinctive double-horned crown and eagle-topped staff that identify the Luwian storm deity across the region. Hieroglyphic Luwian inscriptions flank the figures, naming both king and god and recording Warpalawas's dedicatory act. The Ivriz relief is one of the best-preserved Neo-Hittite rock carvings in the world: the figures retain exceptional surface detail including the texture of textile borders and the individual curls of the divine beard. The site is situated beside the Ivriz stream, and the sound and presence of the water — the original reason for the cult site — remains a notable part of the experience for visitors today. A protective metal canopy was erected over the relief in the late 20th century to limit weather erosion; while visually intrusive, it has slowed surface degradation considerably. The relief is listed as an immovable cultural heritage monument under Turkish law and is managed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. No admission fee is charged. The carving is visible from the road; the optimal viewing angle is from the footpath immediately in front of the cliff face.