| Ḫattuša Hattuşaş | |
.jpg/250px-The_Temple_District_in_the_Upper_City,_Hattusa,_the_capital_of_the_Hittite_Empire_in_the_late_Bronze_Age,_Boğazkale,_Turkey_(26500257065).jpg) | |
| State | Turkey |
|---|---|
| Region | Black Sea region |
| Territory | Central Black Sea region |
| Surface | 2,684,600 km² |
| Institutional website | |
Ḫattuša is an archaeological site of the Black Sea region as well as the ancient capital of the Hittites.
To know
Geographical notes
Hattuşa is located at the northern end of the region of Cappadocia.
When to go
Hattuşa has a dry continental climate and the landscape today is arid and steppe-like and therefore largely treeless. Winters are long and cold and summers relatively short and hot.
Background
The history of Hattuşa is quite well documented thanks to the libraries found in Hattuşa e Kültepe. In general, the history of Hattuşa can be divided into four phases:
- Hatti phase: until the 19th century BC
- First Hittite phase: from the 19th century BC to 1355 BC
- Hittite expansion: from 1355 BC to 1200 BC
- Late settlementsm from 1200 BC
- Hatti phase
The oldest traces of settlement date back to 3000 BC. about. But initially the city was clearly in the shadow of the city of Alacahöyük, just 25 km away. Under the influence of the Hatti, however, the place was increasingly enlarged and fortified at the beginning of the second millennium. This gave the city a growing regional importance, so that the Assyrians they established a trading post here.
- First Hittite phase
Between the 19th century BC and the 17th century BC the Hittite prince Anitta moved from the then capital Kanes (today Kültepe) to destroy the Hatti. He destroyed Hattuşa and placed a curse on it so that no one would settle there again. But already in the sixteenth century BC the Hittite king Hattušili I he moved his seat of government from his residence which until now could only be located in Hattuşa. This led to the Hittite troops for the first time gaining less territory, and more like loot in all regions of the Middle East. But the backlash of the attacked cities almost led to the fall of the young Hittite empire. So Hattušili placed his grandson Muršili I on his deathbed throne and told him to learn from his mistakes. He made important alliances and defeated the mighty empire Hurrita or Aleppo and ended the first dynasty of Babylon in 1531 BC. By defeating his troops and plundering the city. But as soon as Muršili I returned to Hattuşa he was assassinated. Regencies followed, marked by internal disputes, intrigues and regicides. Telipinu he succeeded in elaborating a vast body of laws that regulated the succession down to the smallest detail. Telipinu would prove its bargaining prowess through state treaties with neighboring states.
In subsequent generations, peace and tranquility followed in the royal house of Hattuşa, until the end of the 15th century when a certain Muwatalli I came to power. He was replaced by Tudhaliya I through regicide. He reformed the kingdom of the Hittites, opening it to new cultures. Regulations were then issued for a complex supraregional administration. Through various campaigns in the east he was able to expand the empire to the kingdom of the Mitanni. Never Kaska north on coast of the Black Sea they hit the empire hard, so much so that in recent years the priority here became defense.
- Hittite expansion
Two generations later, when the Hittite king Tudhaliya II directed the fortunes of Hattuşa, he relied on the skills of his son Šuppiluliuma I for military warfare, leading troops to success. So Šuppiluliuma, without further ado, opened the way to power. As a warlord, he pushed the Kaskas back to the north for the first time. The freedom obtained in this way used it for extensive campaigns in the west, securing the areas up to today Didim on the Mediterranean. In the east he secured broad support through various treaties with small kingdoms before going against that of theEgypt ally of the Mitanni. The internal political difficulties of Egypt under Akhenaten's rule certainly came to the aid. The Mitanni could not be completely defeated, but Šuppiluliuma managed to establish a dense network of small subordinate states, for example in Ugarit, Karkemish or Aleppo all around the Mitanni. During this phase, an Egyptian queen asked to marry a son of Šuppiluliuma. Only after long hesitation did he send one of his sons who was executed in Egypt. This episode poisoned the relationship between the two great powers for a long time. It did not, however, have a direct retaliation for two reasons: first, a new great power had formed in the east with the Assyrians and, secondly, the Egyptian prisoners brought an epidemic to Hattuşa from which Šuppiluliuma and his heir to the throne.
The youngest son Muršili II he came to power, managing to firmly tie the conquered areas to himself through ingenious treaties and to stabilize the West as a Hittite area by establishing subordinate kingdoms. His son Muwatalli II he then moved to the new capital Tarhuntassa, which until now has not been possible to locate, but it is known that it was located in the south-east. For the first time with Hattušili I, Hattuşa was no longer the capital. In order to still protect the north against the Kaska, he established the Kingdom of Hakmiş in what it is now Amasya, who was led by his brother. But Muwatalli II's most famous success is probably the Battle of Kadesh. As in Egypt with Ramses II a new pharaoh with claims of hegemony tried to break the dominion of the Hittites. This situation eventually culminated in a gigantic battle that ended in a military stalemate. Although Ramses II presented it as a victory, he did not achieve his goal of changing the Hittite influence in any way. In addition, he concluded important treaties in the West, which ensured him the subordination of Troy. After his death his son went up Muršili III. Muršili III moved the seat of government to Hattuşa and open war broke out through a decisive battle that culminated in Sivas. Hattušili occupied areas in the north of the Egyptian Empire with kingdoms subordinate to Hattuşa.
In this period the processes that would have led to the collapse of the Hittite empire were already emerging. An increasing number of Hittite kingdoms considered themselves only partially subservient to Hattusa. When Hattušili III he died and gave the throne to his son Tudhaliya IV, there was a first break, as he only officially represented the great king, while the Hittite Empire was in fact ruled by the city of Tarhuntassa from Kurunta (son of Muršili III).
In the following governments of Arnuwanda III and Šuppiluliuma II, the tension between the individual Hittite kingdoms increased and an open civil war broke out. Furthermore, the climate changed, crop failures followed invasions from the west as strong Assyria depressed from the east. In 1200 BC Hattuşa again managed to successfully conduct a campaign against Tarhuntassa, but shortly thereafter it was completely abandoned for reasons not yet known, and was soon burned down.
- Late settlements
About 300 years later, the so-called Phrygians They settled there by building a castle (the southern castle) in the 7th century BC. But this was abandoned 200 years later. Despite the dominations of Persians, Greeks, Byzantines, Seljuk and Ottomans, the region has remained inhabited ever since as a small settlement. The city of Boğazkale, which has about 1000 inhabitants, is located right next to the complex and still bears witness to it today.
How to get
By car
A small connecting road leads from Sungurlu to Yozgat. The village of Boğazkale it is located directly on the road at the foot of the ruined city
By bus
There is a Dolmuş connection with the city of Sungurlu. There are bus connections to and from Ankara , Amasya is Samsun.
Permits / Rates
How to get around
Ḫattuša: full screen map.
You can see the ruins of the city on foot. You should plan a full day due to the vastness of the site and be able to walk well.
The site is accessible via a road and is therefore easily accessible. If you don't have your car with you, you can use a taxi. Local taxi drivers offer tours including one for Alacahöyük for € 60.
What see
The city is basically divided into the lower city and the upper city. The lower city is the oldest part.
Lower town
- Walls to the west of the lower city (1). The walls surrounding the city of Ḫattuša, at their peak, were about six kilometers long and had three gates: the Lions, the Sphinx and the King. A 60 meter long section was completely rebuilt in 2005, in evidence the joint between the towers and the walls.
- Great temple of the lower town (2). The largest building within the urban area, 65 meters long and 42 meters wide. In terms of area, this building was probably not erected until the time of the Hittite expansion. The foundation walls have been preserved and give an idea of the size of the building. Some stones in the foundation walls weigh up to 20 tons. In the center of the temple there are two rooms of worship which were probably dedicated to the god of the Hatti era and the sun goddess of Arinna. On the northwest side, huge clay pots can be seen, each with a capacity of over 1500 liters.
- House on the descent (3). This two-story house with a square section and a border length of about 30 meters, served more than an official function. The numerous finds of clay tablets and a large reception hall testify to this.
- Büyükkale (4). This structure about 70 meters wide and 200 meters long, located on a rock, is considered the oldest settlement point and was founded in the 16th century BC. It was then expanded into a castle. In the thirteenth century BC the plant was again extensively redesigned and, in addition to the royal headquarters with an independent water supply, it was also a place for storing grain. More than 10 grain silos were found inside the castle, in which several hundred tons could be stored.
High City
- Internal walls (5).
- Sarikale (6). An imposing cone of rock on which the foundations of a building complex with square, courtyard and building wings are located. In Hittite culture such elevations were often used for the cult of the dead.
- Door of lions (7). As the name suggests, this gate is flanked by two 2m high lions. Interestingly, the same name is associated with the port of Mycenae in Greece which architecturally seems to recall this door. Near this gate, in 1991, a Mycenaean type sword was found dating back to the time of King Tudhaliya I / II with an inscription engraved on the blade: "When Tuthalija the Great King annihilated the land of Assuwa, these swords he dedicated to god of the storm, your lord. " The sword is currently kept at the museum of Corum.
- Door of the sphinxes (8). This gate was previously flanked by four sphinxes. Today there is only one left.
- Yerkapi bastion (9). This artificially constructed wall at the southernmost point of the city is 250 meters long, 80 meters wide and 35 meters long. The steep stairs lead to the side of the wall. The name Yerkapi, which means "hole in the ground", was given to this wall due to the tunnel present.
- Area of the temples of the upper city (10). In the southern depression, surrounded by the old city walls, is the temple district. So far, around 30 temples have been discovered during excavations. The larger ones have a floor area of up to 1500 square meters. In some temples it is possible to see a square surrounded by a wall.
- Gate of the king (11). This doorway takes its name from a larger image which does not represent the king, as originally assumed, but a god.
- Nisantepe (12). Several chambers with hieroglyphic inscriptions have been found under the southern castle. The texts are all from Suppiluliuma II (1200 BC) which recounts his campaigns and lists the succession of kings in Hattuşa.
- Bedroom 2 (13).
- Büyükkaya (14).
Around
- 1 Yazılıkaya (about 2 km from the city center). The complex dates back to the 15th century BC. as a Hittite cult site. Under Suppiluliuma II, this place was again enlarged to include a second bedroom. In the past there were also temples in front of the rooms.
- Great Chamber. The Hittites say they saw 1000 gods in the land of the Hatti. This number has not yet been proven, and it certainly was not 1000, but 150 have been identified so far. In the Grand Chamber, 30 meters long, two processions of gods moving towards each other are carved into the rock. At the head of the procession on the left is the god of time Tessub (King of Heaven), who bears his attribute. He leads a procession of male deities, most of which are explained with hieroglyphic texts. The same can be found on the right. In direct contact with Tessub is the sun goddess Hepat (mother of the earth), who in turn leads a procession of female deities, also explained with hieroglyphic texts.
- Small room. This 18-meter-long chamber can be reached via a narrow corridor guarded by four mythical lion-like creatures. This room was consecrated to the cult of the late Tuthalija IV. Four different representations can be found:
- On the east wall, the sovereign is depicted with the insignia of his power (solar disc, conical volute and floral dagger)
- A sword depiction of Nergal, god of the underworld. The pommel is a human head and the handle is made up of four lions
- Opposite is a procession of gods similar to the main chamber with twelve gods
- The most important representation is also found on the east wall. Here you can find the so-called hug scene between Tuthalija IV and an oversized god Sharumma. In the accompanying texts, Tuthalija IV is praised as a hero and is subsequently counted among the gods.
Two meters in front of the north wall was a three meter high statue of Tuthalija IV, but only the remains have been found.
What to do
The steppe landscape of the Central Anatolian highlands also invites to go hiking.
Shopping
In the small local museum a Boğazkale you can buy an extremely informative travel guide written in German by Jürgen Seeher (German Archaeological Institute).
There are numerous souvenir vendors in the complex that have a handful of souvenirs for sale. It is better to wait to visit Yazilikaya or Alacahöyük, as there is more choice. In Yazilikaya, souvenir sellers can only approach tourists with the approval of the security men. In this way, the access and the visit is quiet.
Where to eat
See the article Boğazkale.
Where stay
See the article Boğazkale.
