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Hattusa: The Ancient Capital of The Hittites

Hattusa, located in Türkiye’s Anatolian heartland province of Corum, is definitely worth visiting. The remnants of the Hittite Capital date back to the Bronze Age, around 2000 BC. The site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1986. The Hittites were a remarkable civilization. The kingdom stretched from the Aegean across Anatolia, northern Syria and to the Euphrates river. Hattusa is a wonderful Turkish tale of endurance, mystery and deeply layered history. Discovered only in 1834, Hattusa, the capital city of the Hittite Empire, had long been believed a myth. As excavation continues, more and more is being uncovered about this ancient city, those who lived there and how they interacted. We know they were already crafting tools and were a mighty military power in the age of horses and chariots - what else will be discovered? Archaeologists are still working to uncover more about the Hittites and their capital. Thus far, excavations have found extensive royal archives of clay tablets, known collectively as the Bogazkoy Archive. The tablets feature official correspondence, contracts, legal codes, ceremonial procedures, prophecies, peace settlements and literature of the time. In addition to the extensive clay documentation, a variety of large sculptures were discovered in the ancient capital. Exploring the Site The site is renowned for signs of significant urbanisation, varied types of construction and the ornamental structures like the Lions Gate and the Royal Gate which must have been very grand and imposing indeed. The city was surrounded by a huge wall, 8 km in length, with older walls found throughout the city and walls dividing the city into distinct districts. The city was heavily fortified, with a double wall, over 100 towers and 5 gateways including 3 richly decorated: the Lions Gate, the Kings Gate and the Sphinx Gate. Some of the walls of the Upper City feature the longest known Hittite hieroglyphic inscription from the Hittite Empire. Grand Temple Elsewhere in the city are the ruins of temples, the best preserved of which is in the Lower City. The Grand Temple, dates back to the 13th Century BC and is the biggest Temple found in the city. Yazılıkaya North of the capital is the rock sanctuary of Yazılıkaya. An open-air temple with two natural chambers cut into the bedrock, the walls of which are covered with the richest and most striking samples of Hittite relief art, featuring gods and goddesses and the figures of the Great King Tudhaliya IV. Kayalı Boğaz Kayalı Bogaz, mentioned in cuneiform inscriptions (found in the Bogazkoy Archive), is a large fortified settlement. Due to its proximity to the capital, it is thought that Kayali Bogaz may have served as an outpost of the city in order to watch and control the roads to the city. İbikçam Forest The İbikcam Forest is a representation of one of the dense forests covering the mountains to the south of the capital in Hittite times. The People of Hattusa Evaluation of the site, its significance and its role in the region, suggests the population may have been around 50.000. With the inner city likely housing one third of the total population. Dwellings were built with timber and mud bricks and thus, have vanished from the site. Clues about the life and times of ordinary Hittites are chiefly found in the clay tablets of the Bogazkoy Archive. Hattusa is a fascinating example of a Bronze Age city and its people. To have endured for millennia as it has is a true testament to the might of the Hittites. Source: goturkiye.com

Safranbolu became the holiday choice of Americans in Turkey

While the Safranbolu district of Karabük, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, hosted tourists from the Far East before the pandemic, the historical city has become a favorite of the USA and Europeans in recent years. The historical district of Safranbolu, which resembles an open-air museum with its inns, baths, mansions, fountains, mosques and bridges from the Ottoman period, is on its way to becoming a favorite of local and foreign tourists. Photo: Erkan Tabakoğlu The USA, Germany, France, Poland, Russia and Kuwait are at the top of the countries that visited Safranbolu, which was the city most preferred by Far Eastern tourists before the pandemic, in the first 10 months of 2022. Safranbolu Mayor Elif Köse, in a statement to the İhlas News Agency (İHA) reporter, said, “We went through a long pandemic process. Cities like us that earn their living from tourism have been adversely affected by this situation. One of the reasons why they were adversely affected was the arrival of tourists from the Far East to this region. The beginning of this pandemic started in the Far East, that is, in China. Naturally, the Far East tourists, who have the potential of this place, started not to come. However, our work was to ensure that European tourists, who especially value cities that are developed in terms of cultural tourism, come to our city rather than being dependent on tourists from only one country or region. Our work has always been in this direction,” he said. Photo: Erkan Tabakoğlu Pointing out that they have been working with the Safranbolu Tourism Operators Association for the last few years, Köse said, “Together, we organize trips to important tourism centers in Turkey that attract tourists from Europe. We are holding meetings with both the agencies in the tourism sector and local administrations on the direction we need to work. In our city, a tourism workshop was held together with the District Governor's Office. Our tradesmen from different business lines in the tourism sector participated here. With the cooperation with the university, a certain route was drawn regarding Safranbolu. At the same time, we started to work on increasing the quality of the service in the city by implementing the purple flag certificate program. This is a program that encourages our tradesmen and also informs them about the work they do.” Photo: Erkan Tabakoğlu Noting that the works are continuing, Köse stated that these efforts have started to pay off and said: “French tourists will start to arrive as of March. We started to host tourists from America and Russia. In the tourism season of 2023, we will begin to experience this heavily. This is good news for our city. Because the massive tourist arrivals and leaving nothing to the city was doing nothing but harming this city. When we say qualified, which we have been trying to explain from the beginning, we target tourists who have high purchasing power, understand cultural tourism, and do not go to the city for a day. Together with them, to increase the number of accommodation days and to provide more economic return to the city by selling high value-added products to tourists. I think we accomplished that. Our shopkeepers and Safranbolu will see the results of this more clearly in 2023.” Photos: Erkan Tabakoğlu

Liszkai: “Mesopotamian tours should start from Nemrut”

Writer Laszlio Liszkai, Member of the International Federation of Journalists, made important statements about Mount Nemrut during his trip to the GAP region. Writer Laszlio Liszkai, Member of the International Federation of Journalists, stated that Mesopotamian tours should start from Mount Nemrut and said that other historical places are almost the libraries of ancient times for humanity. Laszlio said, “Mesopotamian tours should start from Nemrut. Nemrut Peak area and other historical places related to the same civilization are almost like the library of ancient times for humanity. Nimrod is viewed from above Mesopotamia like a crown. I will write and suggest that Mesopotamian tours should start from Nemrut.” Expressing that they organize vip tours to different countries of the world, Jessenszky Liszkai, the wife of Laszlio Liszkai, said, “Our aim to come here is to organize 6 and 12-day vip tours to Mesopotamia next year. Our tours will start from Nemrut,” he said. The Liszkai couple said that after Nemrut, Cendere Bridge and Gerger Canyon are important tourism sources for alternative tourism and that they would recommend the photos they took there to tour operators in Europe.

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Hattusa: The Ancient Capital of The Hittites

Safranbolu became the holiday choice of Americans in Turkey

Liszkai: “Mesopotamian tours should start from Nemrut”