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Gürün Inscriptions

The hieroglyphic Luwian inscriptions are carved on the face of the great granite cliffs at the mouth of a gorge in the Suğul valley to the west of the town of Gürün (ancient Tegarama), in Sivas province. It was first reported by Sir Charles Wilson in 1879. There are two separate inscriptions. The upper, larger inscription has 6 lines and the lower inscription has 4 lines. They are the duplicates of the same text. Although both are worn out quite a bit, the larger inscription is the better preserved of the two. It is a record of a settlement by Runtiyas, King of Malatya (Malizi), who traces himself to a grandfather, Kuzi Teshub, known as "hero of Kargamış". The inscription is very similar to the Kötükale inscription. Dating based on Kuzi Teshup places the monument to 12th cent BCE however the style of the script points to a later period such as 11th or 10th cent BCE.

38°44'25 N - 37°14'13 E Google Earth location (approximate)


Click on pictures for a larger image.

E.Çetindağ Upper inscription - E.Çetindağ Upper inscription - E.Çetindağ Lower inscription - E.Çetindağ Lower inscription - E.Çetindağ
Upper inscription - J.D.Hawkins E.Rossner Upper inscription - J.D.Hawkins Lower inscription - J.D.Hawkins, photo: M.D.Roaf Lower inscription - J.D.Hawkins



Image sources:
Erdal Çetindağ - Sivas Arkeoloji Bürosu
John David Hawkins, Corpus of Hieroglyphic Luwian Inscriptions. 2000.
Eberhard Rossner, Die hethitischen Felsreliefs in der Türkei. 1988, ISBN 3924390029.