How to visit and what to see in Hatusa, Hittite empire in Türkiye

Hatusa It was the great capital of ancient Hittite Empire, which dominated much of the interior of Anatolia, and your visit is one of the fundamental stages in a trip through the interior of Türkiye.

This important archaeological site reflects a moment in history, that of the maximum splendor of the hittite civilization, which was of great importance in much of Middle East.

La Unesco registered this site and the nearby one Yazilikaya Shrine on the list of World Heritage in 1986.

El Hittite Empire He was one of the most powerful of the Antiquity en Middle East but it also remains one of the most mysterious.

Curiosities History Hittite Empire

In the 1280th century BC he waged a war against Egypt, and in XNUMX BC these two superpowers signed the Treaty of Kadesh, the first writing in history to declare peace.

About a century later, the empire fell apart and different Neo-Hittite city-states which in turn gradually disappeared. But there remain remains of Hatusa to tell us a part of his story.

Hatusa It is located on the outskirts of the village of Bogazkale, which can be a good base for the night.

Bogazkale It is 190 kilometers away east of Ankara and it can be reached via a good road in about two and a half hours.

After many centuries of oblivion, Hatusa It was discovered in the 1830s, but was not studied in depth until the XNUMXth century.

Its location was very well chosen, at the end of a fertile plain, with a good supply of water.

The city was founded by the hatti, prehitite town, around the year 2000 BC and became the hittite capital 400 years later.

What to see when visiting Hatusa in Türkiye

You must start the visit in the aforementioned village of Bogazkale, where it is advisable visit the museum which, although small, offers a lot of information.

In addition, it preserves two original sphinxes of the place, which for a long time were in museums in Istanbul and Berlin.

It is also advisable, of course, to visit Ankara Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, one of the most important in the world on the cultures of the Antiquity.

El Hatusa archaeological site it extends over a very wide surface; In fact, you can enter by car to explore it and stop at the most important places.

If the tour is done on foot, you have to think about a couple of hours just for the walks, in addition to the visits themselves.

The place is defined by two valleys, which form a triangular space where, in addition to the abundance of water, the strategic and easily defendable value of the complex is evident.

There are no remains, such as columns or theaters, that you can see in other archaeological sites, but the size of the buildings that we can imagine with the bases of the structures that are preserved is impressive.

Una Wall six kilometers long, open in several monumental doors, surrounded the enclosure with about 200 towers, which makes Hatusa In one of the oldest known examples of fortified city.

A section has been rebuilt and we can imagine what it was like more than 3.000 years ago.

Its interior can be divided into an upper city and a lower city, and it is estimated that at its peak it could have had 15.000 inhabitants, probably more than those who could live in the Athens of the Parthenon.

Next to the ticket office there is a small shop with crafts, and there are also some local artisans who sell small reproductions of ancient reliefs.

Upon entering the Hatusa archaeological site, the first thing you find is the Great Temple, which would be dedicated to the Goddess of the sun and god of storms.

It must have been a place intended for religious worship, but also for social and economic gatherings.

The enclosure was entered through a processional route, and before entering the temple one passed next to a type of pool that was once carved in a monolithic rock and between two stone lions.

A curiosity is that these lions have five legs so that, depending on the place they are observed, they always show four legs.

Overall, what is really surprising is a block of nephrite, a green stone with a smooth and polished touch, which it is not known what meaning it could have had.

The next stop must be made on the call Gate of the Lions.

On the outside, the large lions that give it its name appear, with a threatening appearance to defend the city, both from enemies and evil spirits. The lion's head on the left side is reconstructed.

Next you reach the Gate of the Sphinxes, by which they originally flanked the entrance.

Those seen are copies, since the originals are in the aforementioned Bogazkale museum. Unlike the lions at the previous gate, the sphinxes look towards the interior of the city.

An interesting detail is the tunnel of about 70 meters in length that passes under the door and connects with the outside of the walled enclosure, which can be explored with a little care, but without problems.

Two exterior staircases connect the level of the tunnel with that of the door at the top of the wall, and the whole is impressive and surprising.

The third door that is visited is the King, in which the figure of a monarch that adorns it is a copy and the original is in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara.

It is from the 14th century BC and is one of the best examples of hittite sculpture that is known.

In fact, it has so many details that the cuticles of the nails and the hair on the chest can be distinguished.

These doors are located in the highest part of the enclosure, and from them the views are magnificent; Towards the interior you can see the entire complex, with different remains scattered, and towards the exterior you can see the surrounding mountains and forests.

As you descend you pass various structures.

One of the most curious is the Chamber of Hieroglyphs which is located to the right of the road, a gallery with bas-reliefs that represent the king Suppiluliuma II and it is believed that the place would be dedicated to the cult of infernal deities.

Very close is the Great strength, where the residence of the kings and the archives would be.

The remains allow us to imagine the distribution of patios, homes, doors, audience rooms and worship rooms.

Schedules and prices visit Hatusa

The Visiting hours of the Hatusa archaeological site They are, every day of the year, from 10 a.m. to 19 p.m., from April 1 to September 30, and from 08 a.m. to 17 p.m., from October 1 to March 31.

El entrance fee to visit Hatusa It is 10 lira.

In turn, the Bogazkale museum It has the same hours and price.

La visit of Hatusa must be complemented with that of the Yazilikaya Shrine, located about three kilometers away.

Also, if you have a little time, it is highly advisable to go to Alacahöyük, another Hittite city located about 35 kilometers away.