Anatolian Civilizations and Historical Sites - TEDA

ANATOLIAN CIVILIZATIONS:10x19 antik kentler 8/1/11 10:50 AM Sayfa
inhabited this region after the decadence of the Hittite State. The
ramparts were built on a stone foundation with brick walls, by filling small
stones between the large stones. As fortification, projections in the form
of towers were created on the ramparts at 25-30 m. intervals. Apart from
these ramparts, there is another inner castle inside the city, built on a
large rock and encircled by ramparts, which was the acropolis of the city.
Entry into the city is through the Lower and Upper Western Gates, Lion’s
Gate, Yerkap› (Sphinx Gate) and the King’s Gate. Among them, the King’s
Gate, Lion’s Gate and Sphinx Gate are important in that they have been
well preserved and they present good examples of gates.
The weakest parts of the ramparts were the gates; therefore the gates in
Hattusha were meticulously constructed. The gates with their pointed
arches, which were reinforced by towers on both sides, feature typical
architecture. To the east of the large rampart curve, which is in the south
of the city, is the King’s Gate having a ramp supported by a buttress. On
both sides of the passage room, which vertically lies against the rampart
wall, there are towers jutting out towards the front. Furthermore, another
tower was built to the right of the ramp, so that the first-coming enemy
could be seen and the main gate could be better guarded. Both the
exterior and interior doors are two-winged, and their pivots, bolt holes
and the holes into which the bolts locking the gates from behind would go,
can still be seen. This shows that the outer wings opened inwards.
Constituting an architectural whole with its towers, gates and tower rooms,
the King’s Gate formed a battlement that could protect itself inside and
outside. The embossment of a warrior holding an axe, wearing a short
dress and having a helmet on, which was found during the excavations of
1907, was formerly ascribed to a king. Thus the gate was called the “King’s
Gate”. As the horns on the helmet represent a deity, it is now accepted
that the figure on the embossment depicts a god. The embossment has
been moved to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, while a replica
replaces it today.
Plan of Hattusha
1.Lower city 2.Temple, No.1 3.Great citadel 4.South on citadel
5.Niflantepe 6.King’s gate 7.Temple, No.5 8.Temple, No.2 9.Temple, No.3
10.Central temple area 11.Yerkap›, the Sphinx gate 12.Lion gate
13.Yenice Kale (New castle) 14.Sar›kale 15.House on slope 16.Wall with
potern 17.Lower west gate 18.Upper west gate 19.Temple, No.30
20.Church 21.Temple, No.7 22.Room with hieroglyph 23.North building
complex 24.Ambarl›kaya 25.Mihrapl›kaya 26.Büyükkaya 27.Walls
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