An essential element of the Hittite religious beliefs were the practices of the so-called sympathetic magic. The rituals were performed by the priests called 'soothsayers,' and the priestesses known as the 'old women.' Their actions were aimed at reversing the imminent danger, from impotence to abandonment of the sanctuary by a deity inhabiting it. Most of the practices associated with these activities took place outdoors, and a particular importance was attached to water sources. Many of these places of worship, often in the form of a simple 'sacred sources,' have been preserved to our times. Eflatun Pınar is an excellent example of elaborate stone shrines adorning eternal sources of water. It is situated on the south-eastern side of Beyşehir Lake and called Eflatun Pınar.

There are two places, paramount from the historical point of view, bearing the same name - Yazılıkaya - in the area of Turkey. Not surprisingly, as in Turkish this word means 'inscribed rock' and thus perfectly reflects the character of all the monuments that were created by carving inscriptions in the rock walls. The monument, which is described here, also has two other names - Midas Kenti (Midas City) and Midas Anıtı (Midas Monument), that distinguish it from the Hittite sanctuary of Yazılıkaya, located in the vicinity of Hattusa, in central Anatolia.