Destination Hittite Highland | Excursion Hittite Highland

Hittite Highland, in the heartland of Anatolian plateau a great native civilization, Hittite Empire dating back to 2300 years with Bogazkale (Hattusha) its capital city. The site displaces a strikingly astonishing setting. The buildings could not stand the work of time but much of the foundations are there. There is a reference to this great empire of antiquity in the Bible as the conquerors of Babylon and regional rival to Egyptians. Being on the high Anatolian Plateau they worshipped Storm God and other deities. Teshup storm God is often shown leaning on two lions, which was a symbol of power.

At the sanctuary of Yazilikaya, 3km from main site, you can see relief of ceremonial processions of Hittite Gods, numbering 12.

You can get there via Ankara, some 200 km due east of Ankara on the highway to Corum, map of location. My guided tour starts from Istanbul or Ankara and includes principal Hittite highlights; Alacahöyük, Boðazköy (Hattusas) and Yazilikaya. On a daily tour you can visit the site from Ankara and get back to. Alacahöyük, 36 km north of Bogazkale, was another important Hittite city, and once in the area it should not be missed out.

Unless you are with an organized tour you need your own transport to get there, taking a taxi or a minibus from the nearest town Sungurlu is an option.

KADESH TREATY

The treaty of Kadesh is the earliest known parity peace-treaty that had been concluded between the Hittite king Hattusilis III and the Egyptian pharah Ramses II, and was written in Akkadian: …… ''Treaty of Rea-Mashesha-Mai Amana the great king, the king of the land of Egypt, the valiant, with Hattusilis, the great king of the Hatti land for establishing good peace and good brotherhood worthy of great kingship forever. These are the words of Rea-Mashesha-Mai Amana: Now I have established good brotherhood and good peace between us forever. In order to establish good peace and good brotherhood in the relationship of the land of Egypt with the Hatti land forever. ..

''If an enemy from abroad comes against the land of Egypt and Rea-Mashesha-Mai Amana, the king of the land of Egypt, your brother sends to Hattusilis, the great king of the Hatti land, his brother saying: '' come here to help me against him-lo Hattusilis, the king of the Hatti land shall send his footsoldiers and his charioteers and, shall slay the enemies. ''

Hittites, an ancient people of Anatolia who spoke an Indo-European Language. They established their kingdom in north central Anatolia on the high lands. Their capital city Hattusas was relatively impregnable to threats. But unfortunately it was captured and sacked. Hittites moved their capital to Kanesh as they thought that Hattusas was cursed. Generations later they moved back to more secured Hattusas. Their destruction came around 1200 BC. not far from the loss of Troy. Following centuries they appeared in history in the form of smaller Kingdoms upto 700 BC.

In a double identification the Kheta of the Egyptian annals and the Hatti of the Assyrian annals were said to be the Hittites of the relief cuttings in rocks. "Those who studied these rock reliefs in the middle of the 19th century viewed them in the context of the History of Herodotus. The nearby Halys River suggested to them that the processions were the meetings of contemporary kings of perhaps Lydia and Persia. The headdresses were different for each side with tall Phrygian mitre caps on the left and Persian tiaras on the right. They might be either Alyattes and Cyaxares (Lydians and Medes) or Croesus and Cyrus (Lydians and Persians)".