Hattusha

I visited this WHS in Spring 2021. Bogazkale is a perfect stopover point in Curum between Safranbolu and Goreme NP. Even though the WHS is made up of 4 locations, the Kayali Bogaz (outpost) and the Osmankayasi (rock necropolis) are perfectly visible from in and around Hattusha and Yazilikaya and are minor sites when compared to the massive Hattusha site and the impressive engravings of Yazilikaya. The entrance ticket to Yazilikaya is included with the ticket to Hattusha and really shouldn't be missed (even if you're pressed for time, it won't take longer than 15-30 minutes and you won't regret it).

Yazilikaya literally means "inscribed rock" and it includes some of the most important rock reliefs of the Hittite Empire. The best time to visit is probably in the early morning unless you manage to organise a night visit with a torch! Yazilikaya was a sanctuary for the Hittites and as much as 64 deities are depicted in the foundations of what were once Chambers A and B of this Hittite "pantheon". Along Chamber A the main highlight is the procession of male mountain gods wearing the traditional kilts, pointed shoes and horned hats, while along Chamber B the fewer rock reliefs are much larger and better preserved and it may have served as a mortuary mausoleum or memorial. The winged solar and lunar deities are strikingly reminiscent of Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Hattusha on the other hand is really a fully blown razed city which requires at least half …

Hattuşa is a key site for getting a good understanding of one of the major Bronze Age civilisations in the Eastern Mediterranean, contemporary to the Minoans and the early dynasties of the Egyptian New Kingdom. It is the capital of the Hittite Empire, spread out over a vast area, discovered only in the late 19th century and excavated since then with many of the findings now in various museums in and outside Turkey. 

The site is about two hours drive east of Ankara or two hours drive south-west of Samsun. The closest airport is in Amasya/Merzifon. Nearby cities are Boğazkale, Amasya and Çorum. Museums in Ankara (the Museum of Anatolian Civilisation) and the nearby cities are a must to visit if one wants to fully understand the Hittite civilisation and its capital Hattuşa.

The UNESCO heritage sites consists of two parts: Hattuşa and Yazılıkaya. There are other important sites nearby that you need to visit in order get a clear overview: Alacahöyük and Şapinuwa.

Before going to the Hattuşa site it would be good to stop at the Boğazkale Museum, which is modern and not too big. It shows in chronological order a small part of findings ranging from the Chalcolithic to the Byzantine Empire. The Hittite Sphinx gate with two of its four sphinxes, one returned in 2011 from Germany and the other from Istanbul, is the museum’s key attraction. Also other rare artefacts returned from abroad and are now exhibited at the museum.  

We …

Sometimes this site surprises me – some sites, even remote ones from T-list, have plenty of reviews, where the others, much easier to visit, barely have any. The latter is the case of Hattusa, where until now there were only a few sentences. And the site is not remote and was visited by more than 60 travellers, which places it in upper half of most visited Turkish WHS.

Hattusa is archeological area which served as capital of Hittite empire from 15th to 11th century BC. There are many well preserved remainings, such as ruins of palaces, temples, city walls with well preserved gates and underground passages. Relative proximity of Cappadocia makes this site quite popular among tourists, including international groups. Sometimes there were even queues to the most popular parts. I had a problem with Hattusa – although most of the site is undoubtedly original, I think some of the monuments – including the most popular sculptures, are replicas (or, to be precise, modern reconstructions). Apart from this, we enjoyed our visit, even my children found it interesting, especially city walls with Yerkapi rampart. The whole site is really big and can't be reasonably done on foot – car is the most convenient, though you can do it on a bike (I did not see any bike rental though). Even with driving from one point to another visiting can take at least two hours. At the end of April it was quite warm but I cannot imagine how hot …

Visited in August 2008. The Hittite building style was stone foundation topped with mid-brick walls - in 2500 years the mud-bricks have disappeared so you need a good guide book and a good imagination. But the sheer scale of the site is incredible - you can't walk round it, you drive. Make sure you visit the other Hittite sites nearby with some beautiful stone reliefs

Hattusha only is an interesting place to visit when you know its history. The remains are really old, so not much is left. Also, the heat on this plain can be burning.

For more interesting examples of Hittite culture, visit the Anatolian Museum in Ankara.