Niğde The stele with Storm-God relief was found in 1975 laying on its face in front of the threshold of a mosque (Dışarı Camii) in Niğde, being used as a step. Storm-God Tarhunza is shown holding a double-axe and trident thunderbolt. Behind him is a vine with grapes and in front of him stems of barley. On the side of the stele is a 4-line hieroglyphic luwian inscription: "This Tarhunzas Muwaharanis [ma]de(?), the Hero, the King loved by Tarhunzas (and) the gods, the son of Warpalawas the Ruler, the Hero" (Hawkins). Tuwana King Warpalawas is also known from İvriz, Bor, Bulgarmaden monuments. Muwaharanis being his son, the stele is dated to end of 8th or beginning of 7th cent BCE. It is currently in Nigde Museum. The round stone base was excavated from the foundations of a house in Niğde in 1906. The short hieroglyphic luwian inscription on it says: "This stone Saruwanis made (as) his statue" (Hawkins). It is possible that this was a base for a statue. Saruwanis was a ruler of Nahitiya (Niğde) and he is also the author of Andaval. Dated to early 8th cent BCE. It is currently in Ancient Oriental Museum. Click on pictures for a larger image.

Image sources:
Bora Bilgin, 2008
J.David Hawkins, Corpus of Hieroglyphic Luwian Inscriptions. 2000.