HATTUSASHattusas (Bogazkale, King's Gate & Lion's Gate, Citadel, Yazilikaya, Alacahoyuk)
At the height of its prosperity in about 1400 BC, the ruined city known today as Bogazkale and to the Hittites as Hattusa was the capital of an empire which stretched south to Cyprus and west to the Aegean .
Its massive size and majestic setting in the hills are unrivalled. Begin
on the ramparts, looking down at the King's Gate and Lion Gate. A section
of the stonework is kept clear of rubble and weeds, so that it is possible
to see the great stone ramparts more or less as they looked in Hittite
times. Further proof of the formidable nature of Hittite architecture is
also provided by the Yerkapi, a 70-metre tunnel under the walls. Lower
down, on an outcrop of the hill overlooking the valley, the Citadel was
the site of the Imperial Palace and it is here that the majority of the
3500 clay tablets from the emperor's archives were found.
Thanks to them, this great, vanished civilisation, virtually known 100
years ago, now has a detailed written history. The religious heart of the
Hittite Kingdom lay slightly over 2 km northeast of Bogazkale, in the rock
shrine of Yazilikaya. What survives today dates largely from 1275-1220
BC, when the shrine was enlarged by two Hittite emperors. There are two
main galleries carved from the bedrock, their walls covered by reliefs
of deities wearing long, conical caps. The Hittites claimed to have 1000
gods, but a mere 63 get to march in this solemn procession. About 20 minutes
drive further along the road will take you to the third great Hittite centre
in the area, Alacahoyuk. Many of the most famous ancient Anatolian emblems,
including the deer and the sun disk which have become symbols of modern
Turkey , were discovered here at excavations during the 1930s. The Sphinx
Gate is the most impressive sight here, the other reliefs have been removed
for safety and are now on display in Ankara . |
