The Phrygian king Midas was renowned far and wide for his power and riches. In ancient Assyrian texts he is referred to as Mita of the Mushki people, while the Greeks called him Midas. It is related that he committed suicide by drinking the blood of a bull after Cimmerian invaders from Caucasia dealt his army a humiliating defeat in the early 7th century BC. His magnificent castle was razed and burnt, and his palace with its exquisite mosaics and wooden furniture inlaid with ivory was abandoned.

The successors to the powerful Phrygian kingdom built King Midas a tomb just outside their capital city. This burial mound was so splendid that it was reported to be the second highest in the entire ancient world. The tomb chamber where Midas was buried was neatly constructed of great beams made of cedar and juniper, and the interior furnished with ornately decorated objects of fine craftsmanship. The tables, stools and screens from the tomb are today among the most precious pieces of furniture in the world. Made of boxwood, the tables have tops of walnut which provides a contrasting ground for the inlay of aromatic juniper wood. On these tables stood three great bronze cauldrons filled with smaller vessels, ladles, belts and fibulas. The fibulas made of gold, silver and bronze, and the other metal ware demonstrates the height of technological skill achieved by Phrygian craftsmen. Bronze bowls with central bosses, the forerunners of the bath bowls used in Ottoman times, have superb relief decoration that has never been equalled.

Legends about Midas do not end there. He is supposed to have founded the city of Ankara, and to have become the first foreigner to make an offering to a Greek temple, presenting a throne of dazzling beauty to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. The story of how everything he touched turned to gold, including his food, and how he was saved by bathing in the River Paktalos (today the Sart), as a result of which the waters of the river were filled with gold dust, is one of the myths inspired by his fabulous wealth.
The mound of Yassýhöyük, where the Phrygian capital city of Gordium was discovered, is situated 29 kilometres from the town of Polatli west of Ankara. This monumental city was unprecedented in central Anatolia. Excavations have revealed a magnificent city gate flanked by high towers and defensive walls surrounding the city. The world's oldest pebble mosaic pavement, with geometric patterns worked in dark red, blue and yellow, was discovered here and can be seen in Gordium Museum.