Yazılıkaya

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Yazılıkaya (Turkish for "inscribed rock") was a sanctuary of Hattusa, the capital city of the Hittite Empire, today in the Çorum Province, Turkey.

This was a holy site for the Hittites living in the nearby city of Hattusa. Most impressive today are the rock-cut reliefs portraying the gods from the Hittite pantheon. There were also shrines built adjacent to the rocks. It is believed that New Year's celebrations took place at the site. The sanctuaries were used from the fifteenth century BC, but most of the rock carvings date to the reign of the Hittite kings Tudhaliya IV and Suppiluliuma II in the late 13th century BC.

External links

• Yazilikaya and Hattusa Official web site on Hattusa and Yazilikaya of the German Institute of Archaeology
• Yazilikaya

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Last updated on Tuesday October 23, 2007 at 13:14:49 PDT (GMT -0700)
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