HATTUSHASH

Hattushash, the capital of the Hittite Empire, was founded by King Hattusilis I around 1650 BCE. Its ruins lie in central Turkey, close to a present-day village called Bogazkoy. Hattushash was built on a high, rocky ridge, making it a natural fortress. Because much of the ground was sloping, earth terraces were constructed to provide flat ground on which to build houses.

The city covered an area of around 400 acres (162 ha) and was encircled by a massive rampart 4 miles (6 km) long. This encircling fortification consisted of a great earthen embankment surmounted by a stone wall with towers and battle-ments. The gates that led into the city were decorated with large relief sculptures carved into stone—twin sphinxes at the Sphinx Gate, two ferocious lions at the Lion Gate, and a young soldier complete with battle-ax at the King's Gate.

The city was carefully planned, with streets as straight as the land allowed. A drainage channel ran down the center of the bigger streets, covered over with large slabs of stone. This channel received dirty water from the houses on either side, through a system of smaller pipes.

The houses in Hattushash were constructed on stone foundations, with walls of sun-dried mud bricks. Flat roofs made of mud and brushwood were laid over wooden beams. There were few windows, so the houses were very dark inside. The floors were made of either flagstone or beaten earth, and most houses had a hearth for a fire and an oven. Some houses had a stone sink connected to the drain, and clay baths have also been found. There was little furniture, so most people ate their meals and slept on the floor.

In the Lower Town (in the northern part of the city), there was a great temple set in an enormous enclosure, roughly square shaped,

The ruins of the Hittite capital at Hattushash. The city was the center of the Hittite Empire from around 1650 to 1190 BCE.

Measuring about 900 feet (275 m) on each side. This area was surrounded by a precinct wall that in part coincided with the wall of the lower city. On the eastern side of the city, towering over the Lower Town, stood the citadel, on which was built a magnificent palace with pillared walkways for the king. Although all the buildings have long been destroyed, it is thought that the palace contained several courtyards, around which were grouped the royal residences and a large audience hall.

At its height, Hattushash was a bustling city, the center of a great empire. It would have been an important market place for local farmers and for traveling merchants selling their wares. The city contained many taverns, eating houses, granaries, and craftsmen's workshops, and the streets would have been thronged with thousands of people going about their business.

This relief sculpture found at Yazilikaya depicts a procession of Hittite gods and goddesses. Yazilikaya was a religious sanctuary located near Hattushash.

Sea Peoples probably overran Anatolia around 1190 BCE, sacking Hattushash (once again the capital city) and destroying the Hittite Empire.