TÜRKÇE
Stele of Kubaba
The round basalt stele with a relief of Goddess Kubaba was found at a location northwest of the citadel mound. It has a 5-line Luwian inscription on its back with a missing top section. The stele was already noted in the mid-18th century by travelers, and in 1880-1881 it was transferred to the British Museum. Early excavations in 1911-14 uncovered several small fragments of this stele, three of which are now in the Gaziantep Museum, one in the Vatican Museum, and one is lost. More recently, in 2015, the head section of the stele (below, top row), which was apparently first found in Karkamış in 1978 and was subsequently lost, was rediscovered in Afşin, Kahramanmaraş, and is today in the Gaziantep Museum. The stele was originally 2.30 meters high and 0.74 meters wide. The author of the inscription is the Country-Lord Kamani, who is dedicating a building to Kubaba. In the opening lines, Kamani identifies himself as "Country-Lord of the cities Karkemish (and) Melid, son of Astiru, the Country-Lord, great-grandson of Isarwilamuwa, the Country-Lord, [great-great-grandson of] Sangara […]."
