Turkey > Bogazkale-Hattusha Historical Site

Bogazkale-Hattusha Historical Site

Bogazkale, location of the Capital City of the Hittites- Hattusha is 83 km from Corum, 28 km from Sungurlu and 209 km from Ankara. The position of Hattusha in Anatolian cultural history is paralleled by the capital’s role in the development and importance of the Empire. King Hattushili I succeeded in forming a central Kingdom by combining wide geographic regions under political and cultural influence in Anatolia for the first time.

Although their expansive policy seems to emphasize their warrior character, the Hittites subjected many regions in order to collect taxes by treaties and the subjected kingdoms were able to live in relative freedom in their internal affairs.

When first founded Hattusha covered an area of 76 hectares. During the Hittite Empire Period (14th Ñ BC) the city was surrounded by ramparts topped by adobe bricks, with stone bases supporting high towers at set distances approximately six kilometres long. Amongst the most important ruins are the “Lion Gate” where there are lion sculptures present on the outside and the “Kingdom Gate” where there is a god holding a weapon on the inside which have survived well to the present day. The “Ground Gate” to the south of city is one of the most interesting ruins of Hattusha. The rampart passes by here at a height of 20 meters on an artificial ridge. The part of the artificial ridge with an inclined face is about 250 meters long and is directed towards the outside of city. It is covered with limestone blocks.lt takes the form of a cut- off pyramid and located here is the “Sphinx Gate” at the top centre, under the gate there is a tunnel called “Potem”, 71 meters long and 3 meters high, which connects to the outside of the city.

The Hittite kings ruled their country from the Palace situated on a rocky outcrop known today as Buyiikkale. The palace is not a single structure, rather it is a complex formed by large and small buildings lining the courtyards surrounded by colonnaded galleries where the king and his family, palace officers, and sentinel soldiers known as “golden lancers” were housed.

Hattusha was both the administrative centre and the religious centre of the country. In Hittite texts, Hattusha nation is described as "nation of a thousand gods”. The abundance of gods originates from an old tradition. Instead of invoking the wrath of the gods of the nations they conquered, the Hittites preferred to add them to their own plethora of deities and to offer gifts and prayers. Furthermore, each city had its own protective god. In the Capital, there are many temples that were constructed for these gods worshipped at other cities. As of now 31 temples have been excavated in the Capital Hattusha. In the Lower City is located the Great Temple dedicated to the Tempest God and Sun Goddess of Arinna. According to written records, Hittite temples were not only the houses of gods but also institutions that had land and business and that employed special personnel. In the upper city, in front of Biiytikkale where the kingdom palaces are, there are some monumental buildings near the temples, used for official business. In the “hieroglyph room” the inscription explaining the works of Suppiluliuma II is the best-preserved example of its kind.