Hattusa: Hittite Capital

Next morning, we drove and walked around Hattusa, the remains of the Hittite capital. Their construction consisted of large stone foundations and timber and mud/mud brick structures above. A small section of the outer wall, originally 6km in length, has been reconstructed to show what it might have looked like. Unexplained is the location of the place, still out in the middle of nowhere, not by the sea nor any trade routes. Maybe it was the views. Or defense.

Reconstructed wall

Vicki at the entrance to the lower city

Me by the green stone, said to be a gift of the pharoah on the occasion of the Kadesh 
Treaty; why this was not carted away, I don't know

Portion of the lower city

Huge earthen jars

Archaeology still going on: a German team

Some restoration/replacement of items taken to museums in 
Ankara, Berlin, and Istanbul

Remains of original on other side of arch

70m tunnel under the western wall, Yerkapi



Sort of pyramid at Yerkapi

Rugged countryside in which all this is located

King's gate, reconstruction of what is now in Ankara

Vicki by the king's gate

Wall inscription near the royal citadel

Part of citadel

Reconstructed inscriptions chamber; not sure how I feel about all this 
reconstruction; atonement for sins of previous archaeologists/museums, 
I guess; a means of preservation, in the museums, while still enlightening 
the field tourist

We had the place nearly to ourselves for a couple hours--a young woman from Australia was the only other visitor. But then the tour buses started arriving, and we headed on to Cappadocia.