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Boğazköy (Hattuša)

Hattuša was the main city of the Hittite state from their beginning in the 17th century BCE until the collapse of the state in the early 12th century BCE. By the 12th century the city was covering an area of 182 hectares which was surrounded by a 3.3 km long defensive wall. The first westerner to visit and write about the city ruins was Charles Texier in 1834, but it was only in the 1880s that Archibald Sayce and William Wright identified the city as the Hittite capital. The first proper excavations were made by Hugo Winckler and Theodor Makridi in 1906, and since 1931 the city has been under almost continuous excavation by the German Archeological Institute under Kurt Bittel, Peter Neve, Jürgen Seeher, and currently Andreas Schachner. Other than the numerous monumental structures and artifacts, the excavations revealed over 30 thousand tablet fragments which were part of the Hittite royal archives.


Click on the pictures for larger images.

Map of Boğazköy - Adapted from J. Seeher, 2018 General view from the north - E. Anıl, 2011 Aerial view from the north - Google Earth, 2018
Great Temple
<font size=2>Plan of the Great Temple area View of the Great Temple area from the west- T. Bilgin, 2006 <font size=2>The ancient street, southern storerooms, and at the background, the temple viewed from the southeast - E. Anıl, 2011 The southern storerooms and the temple building viewed from the south - E. Anıl, 2011 Main gate of the temple complex - E. Süer, 2011 Main gate of the temple complex - T. Bilgin, 2006 The water basin inside the temple complex - C. Süer, 2011 A green stone and door thresholds in the southern storerooms  - T. Bilgin, 2006 The gate of the temple - E. Anıl, 2011 Eastern adyton of the temple - E. Süer, 2011 Cult statue base in the eastern adyton - E. Süer, 2011 Drainage channels on the west side of the temple - T. Bilgin, 2006 The northwest storerooms of the temple complex - C. Süer, 2011 Storage vessels in the northwest storerooms - T. Bilgin, 2006 Storage vessels in room no. 38 - E. Anıl, 2011
Lion Basin
Lion Basin - T. Bilgin, 2018 Lion Basin - T. Bilgin, 2018 Lion Basin - T. Bilgin, 2018 Lion Basin - T. Bilgin, 2018
City Walls
Reconstructed city walls - T. Bilgin, 2006 Reconstructed city walls - C. Süer, 2011
Quellgrotte (Fountain-Cave)
Quellgrotte - T. Bilgin, 2018 Carvings on the lintle stone of Quellgrotte - T. Bilgin, 2018 Carving on the lintle stone of Quellgrotte
Büyükkale
Stairs leading to Büyükkale palace complex from east - E. Süer, 2011 View of Büyükkale from Yerkapı - C. Süer, 2011 Composite image of Büyükkale ruins, view from SE - T. Bilgin, 2006
Nişantaş
Nişantaş - T. Bilgin, 2006 Nişantaş - T. Bilgin, 2006 Nişantaş - E. Anıl, 2018 Nişantaş - T. Bilgin, 2006
Nişantepe
Remnants of a portal sphinx from Nişantepe, Boğazkale Museum - T. Bilgin, 2018 Remnants of an unfinished portal lion from Nişantepe, Boğazkale Museum - T. Bilgin, 2018
Sacred pool complex chambers (Südburg): Chamber II
Chamber with reliefs and inscription of Suppiluliuma - C. Süer, 2011 Chamber with reliefs and inscription of Suppiluliuma - T. Bilgin, 2006 Suppiluliuma relief - T. Bilgin, 2006 Hieroglyphic inscription of Suppiluliuma - C. Süer, 2011
Chamber I
Chamber I - T. Bilgin, 2006 Chamber I - T. Bilgin, 2018
King's Gate
King's Gate, view from inside the city - E. Anıl, 2011 King's Gate, view from inside the city - T. Bilgin, 2006 High relief of a god - E. Anıl, 2011 King's Gate, view from outside the city - T. Bilgin, 2006
Lion Gate
Lion Gate, view from inside the city - T. Bilgin, 2006 Lion Gate, view from outside the city - C. Süer, 2011 Lion Gate - B. Bilgin, 2011 Lion Gate - E. Anıl, 2011 Lion Gate - E. Anıl, 2011
Upper Town
View of Upper Town with several temple foundations - B. Bilgin, 2011 View of Upper Town with several temple foundations - C. Süer, 2011 View of Upper Town with several temple foundations - E. Süer, 2011 Head of a god statue from Temple 3 in Upper Town, Boğazkale Museum - T. Bilgin, 2018 Fragmented head of a god statue from Temple 3 in Upper Town, Boğazkale Museum - T. Bilgin, 2018 A lion head from Temple 2 in Upper Town, Boğazkale Museum - T. Bilgin, 2018 Fragments of a lion head, Boğazkale Museum - T. Bilgin, 2018
Yerkapı (Southern gate and walls of the city)
Yerkapı, view from south - A. D. Riddle, 2011 Yerkapı ramparts - T. Bilgin, 2006 Yerkapı ramparts - T. Bilgin, 2006
Postern below Yerkapı
Inner entrance of the postern - T. Bilgin, 2006 Postern below Yerkapı - E. Anıl, 2018 Outer entrance of the postern - T. Bilgin, 2006
Sphix Gate
Sphix Gate, view from inside the city - E. Anıl, 2018 Sphix Gate - E. Anıl, 2018 Sphix Gate - E. Anıl, 2018 Right (west) side lion in Pergamon Museum (now in Boğazkale) - T. Bilgin, 2010 Left (east) side lion in Istanbul Museum (now in Boğazkale) - B. Bilgin, 2006
Hieroglyphic inscriptions
BOĞAZKÖY 1, inscribed stele base, Istanbul Museum - T. Bilgin, 2012 BOĞAZKÖY 2, inscribed stele base, Istanbul Museum - T. Bilgin, 2012 BOĞAZKÖY 3, a stele of Tudhaliya IV, Ankara Museum - T. Bilgin, 2006 BOĞAZKÖY 4, scribal graffiti on a sphinx at Sphix Gate - M. Alparslan, 2013 BOĞAZKÖY 6, inscribed fragment found in Büyükkale - H. Otten, 1955 BOĞAZKÖY 7, inscribed block, Boğazkale Museum - T. Bilgin, 2014 BOĞAZKÖY 8, scribal graffiti on a boulder, Boğazkale Museum - T. Bilgin, 2006 BOĞAZKÖY 9, inscribed fragment - Th. Beran, 1962 BOĞAZKÖY 10, inscribed fragment - Th. Beran, 1962 BOĞAZKÖY 11, a stele fragment of Tudhaliya IV - Th. Beran, 1962 BOĞAZKÖY 12, inscribed stele from Quellgrotte, Ankara Museum - T. Bilgin, 2006 BOĞAZKÖY 14, Graffiti on pavement stones by the Great Temple - H. G. Güterbock, 1969 BOĞAZKÖY 15, scribal graffiti on blocks by the Great Temple - T. Bilgin, 2018 BOĞAZKÖY 16, inscription by the north side lion at Lion Gate - T. Bilgin, 2018 BOĞAZKÖY 17, inscribed block from Temple VI - P. Neve, 1980 BOĞAZKÖY 18, a stele of Tudhaliya IV, Çorum Museum - T. Bilgin, 2014 BOĞAZKÖY 19, a stele of Tudhaliya IV, Çorum Museum - T. Bilgin, 2014 BOĞAZKÖY 22, graffiti on a block from Temple IV, Boğazkale Museum - T. Bilgin, 2018 BOĞAZKÖY 23, inscribed fragments - P. Neve, 1993 BOĞAZKÖY 24, a stele fragment of Tudhaliya IV - P. Neve, 1993 BOĞAZKÖY 25, inscribed fragment found in Büyükkale - J. Seeher, 2005 BOĞAZKÖY 26, scribal graffiti on a block from near Temple XVI- A. and B. Dinçol, 2002 BOĞAZKÖY 27, inscribed fragment found in Sarıkale - J. Seeher, 2005
Yazılıkaya
Yazılıkaya Hittite rock sanctuary



Image sources:
Ertuğrul Anıl, 2011, 2018.
Google Earth, 2018.
Tayfun Bilgin, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018.
Cüneyt Süer, 2011.
Ercüment Süer, 2011.
Bora Bilgin, 2006, 2011.
A. D. Riddle, 2011.
Metin Alparslan, AA 2013.
Heinrich Otten, MDOG 87, 1955.
Th. Beran, MDOG 93, 1962.
Peter Neve, AA 1980 and AA 1993.
Jürgen Seeher, AA 1997 and AA 2005.
Ali and Belkıs Dinçol, GsImparati, 2002.
(List of Abbreviations)