Ancient mighty Hittite Empire in Turkey reborn as popular tourist attraction

Turkey s Anatolia is, from the beginning of human history, a crossroads for many civilizations, the most significant of which are the Hittites whose glorious capital Hattusha was the heart of a powerful empire 3,000 years ago.

Release time : 2019-04-28 17:22:46

source : Xinhua

as Gobeklitepe" which is the Neolithic site discovered in southeastern Turkey and considered one of the first temples of humanity, he noted.

Hattusha is a vast fortress-city sprawling over the rock terrain, with craggy citadels and elaborate temples constructed with huge limestone.

The ancient city is the result of decades-long joint works of German and Turkish archeologists and is notable for its urban organization, types of well-preserved structures, rich ornamentation of the Lions' Gate and the Royal Gate.

It was during these great battles that the Hittites developed the lightest and fastest chariots in the world. Egyptians borrowed this military vehicle from the Hittites, according to scientists.

The city of Hattusha was discovered in the late 1830s and excavated in early 1900s, along with tens of thousands of clay cuneiform tablets which documented much of the life of the Hittite Empire.

In 1917, two sphinxes were removed from the southern gate of the city and taken to Germany for restoration. One well-preserved sphinx was returned to Istanbul in 1927 and put on display in the Istanbul Archeology Museum.

The other sphinx, however, was not returned until 2011.

Both sphinxes are now on display at the museum outside the Hattusha ruins, waiting for many more visitors to discover the illustrious city.