One of Turkey’s lesser visited but historically pregnant attraction is the ruin of an ancient urban gist known every bit Hattusa , located close modern Boğazkale inside the corking loop of the Kızılırmak River. The urban gist in 1 trial served every bit the upper-case missive of the alphabet of the Hittite Empire , a superpower of the Late Bronze Age whose kingdom stretched across the aspect upward of Anatolia too northern Syrian Arab Republic , from the Aegean inward the westward to the Euphrates inward the east.
The Hittite Empire is mentioned several times inward the Bible every bit 1 of the most powerful empires of the ancient times. They were contemporary to the ancient Egyptians too every flake their equal. In the Battle of Kadesh , the Hittites fought the mighty Egyptian empire , nearly killing Pharaoh Ramses the Great , too forcing him to retreat dorsum to Egypt. Years after , the Egyptians too the Hittites signed a peace treaty , believed to the oldest inward the public , too Ramses himself married a Hittite princess to seal the deal.
Hattusa during its peak. Illustration past times Balage Balogh
The Hittites played a pivotal move inward ancient history , far greater than they are given credit for inward modern history books. The Hittites developed the lightest too fastest chariots inward the public , too despite belonging to the Bronze Age , were already making too using Fe tools.
Incredibly , every bit late every bit the plow of the 20th century , the Hittites were considered only a hearsay since no testify of the empire’s being was always found. This changed amongst the regain too earthworks of Hattusa , along amongst the unearthing of tens of thousands of clay tablets documenting many of the Hittites' diplomatic activities , the most of import of which is the peace short town signed after the Battle of Kadesh betwixt the Hittites too the Egyptians inward the 13th century BC.
Hattusa lies at the southward halt of the Budaközü Plain , on a gradient rising about 300 meters inward a higher house the valley. It was surrounded past times rich agricultural fields , colina lands for pasture too forests that supplied plenty wood for edifice too maintaining a large city. The site was originally inhabited past times the indigenous Hattian people earlier it became the upper-case missive of the alphabet of the Hittites sometime about 2000 BC.
Hattusa was destroyed , together amongst the Hittite solid reason itself , inward the twelfth century BC. Excavations advise that the urban gist was burnt to the basis , withal , this devastation appears to get got taken house after many of Hattusa’s residents had abandoned the urban gist , carrying off the valuable objects every bit good every bit the city’s of import official records. The site uncovered past times archaeologists was trivial to a greater extent than than a ghost town during its lastly days.
At its peak , the urban gist covered 1.8 foursquare km too comprised an inner too outer percentage , both surrounded past times a massive too silent visible flat of walls , the outer of which ran for 8 kilometers surrounding the whole city. The inner urban gist was occupied past times a citadel amongst large administrative buildings too temples. The regal residence , or acropolis , was built on a high ridge.
To the southward lay an outer urban gist of well-nigh 1 foursquare km , amongst elaborate gateways decorated amongst reliefs showing warriors , lions , too sphinxes. Four temples were located hither , each laid about a porticoed courtyard , together amongst secular buildings too residential structures. Outside the walls are cemeteries , most of which incorporate cremation burials. Between forty ,000 too l ,000 people is believed to get got lived inward the urban gist at the peak.
Lion Gate inward Hattusa. Photo credit: Bernard Gagnon/Wikimedia
King's Gate inward Hattusa. Photo credit: turkisharchaeonews.net
Sphinx Gate inward Hattusa. Photo credit: Bernard Gagnon/Wikimedia
A modern full-scale reconstruction of a department of the wall surrounding Hattusa. Photo credit: Maarten/Flickr
The Egyptian–Hittite peace treaty , on display at the Istanbul Archaeology Museum. It is believed to live the earliest illustration of whatever written international understanding of whatever kind. Photo credit: yasin turkoglu/Flickr
Panoramic persuasion of the Lower City of Hattusa. Photo credit: turkisharchaeonews.net
Processional means of the Grand Temple complex , Hattusa. Photo credit: turkisharchaeonews.net
Royal Citadel inward Hattusa. Photo credit: turkisharchaeonews.net
Entrance to a rock tunnel called the Yerkapı , inward Hattusa. Photo credit: turkisharchaeonews.net
Yerkapı inward Hattusa. Photo credit: turkisharchaeonews.net
The Yerkapi rampart at Hattusa. Photo credit: turkisharchaeonews.net
Sources: Wikipedia / Ancient Wisdom / UNESCO / Biblical Archaeology