Yazılıkaya comes from the Turkish for inscribed rock. The sacred site is beside the city of Hattusa, the Hittite Bronze Age capital until c. 1180 BCE. A spring once flowed here.
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The ancient complex with awe-inspiring natural stone blocks and carved reliefs holds the vast cosmology of the Hittite Empire.
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An ancient place infused with the holy essence of deities, the site is in use as a religious sanctum by c. 1600 BCE. Yazilikaya is composed of two huge chambers created by the natural geologic formations, and outside rock walls.
Relief carving is one of the major art forms of the Hittites. Artists specialize in working with stone on geologic and spiritual levels.
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Diorite, limestone, tuff and granite are popular carving rocks as well as steatite for smaller items. The artisan understands the physical as well as magical attributes, how stone can be shaped and cut away to reveal the deity within.
Artisans learn the qualities of stone in raw and polished form. They master techniques and tools to bring the gods expressively to life to last in glory throughout the centuries. In most ancient societies artisans have no special status, and are seen as menial laborers.
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The greatest developments at Yazilikaya come in the 13th century. Under the reign of Kings Ḫattušili III and Tudhaliya IV (husband and son of the great Queen Puduhepa) the sacred site is created as a place of prayer, contemplation and ritual.
Tudhaliya's mother was a priestess in her homeland of Kizzuwadna to the south. As Queen she puts much time and energy into chronicling and organizing the thousands of Hittite deities. She's also one of the stimuli behind the world's first peace treaty, with the Egyptian Queen Nefertari.
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The first chamber of the sanctuary, built by Ḫattušili III, "contains rock-cut relief of 64 deities in procession. The left wall shows a procession of male deities, wearing the traditional kilts, pointed shoes and horned hats. Mountain gods are also shown with scaled skirts to symbolize the rocky mountains."
The right wall shows a procession of female deities wearing crowns and long skirts. The only exception to this is the goddess of love and war, Shaushka (equated with Mesopotamian goddess Inanna/Ishtar) is shown on the male procession with two female attendants.
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The processions lead to a central scene of the supreme couple of the pantheon. These are the mighty storm-god Tarḫunna (Hurrian: Teshub) and his beloved wife the sun goddess Hebat (Hepat).
Tarḫunna stands on two mountain gods, possibly Hazzi and Namni. Hebat stands on a panther. Behind Hebat are their son Sharruma, a protector god; daughter Alanzu and a granddaughter. These deities are all related to the stars or cosmic heavens.
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In the second chamber, built by King Tudhaliya IV, the deities all relate to the Underworld. The reliefs are fewer but larger and better made. It's thought this is a private sanctum for the Hittite King.
The Hittites are fond of adopting other gods, and many show up at Yazilikaya. The Mesopotamian god of wisdom, Ea (Enki) appears in the male procession. The god Teshub is a Hurrian god syncretized with Hittite storm-god Tarhunna.
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Sun Goddess Hebat becomes syncretized with the Sun Goddess of Arinna, originally adopted from the Hatti Empire. Many Hurrian gods are brought into the Hittite pantheon by Queen Puduhepa, both as a diplomatic move with squabbling neighbors, and because her mother is Hurrian.
According to recent research the sanctuary depicts the cosmos on its three levels: earth, sky, and underworld. It also maps out the cyclical processes: day/night, lunar phases, and summer/winter, a lunisolar calendar.
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Drought, famine, earthquakes, internal revolts and ravages by mercenary sea peoples create a crisis to entirely wipe out the Hittites by c. 1180 BCE. Several other kingdoms go down with them.
The last King of the Hittites makes a desperate appeal to deities with deaf ears. By the time Suppiluliuma II creates his carvings in the palace at Hattusa, depicting the glories of his kingship, the end has already come.
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Other cultures pulverized to dust include the Kassites of Babylon, and Mycenaeans of Greece, the fierce Arzawa nation and the prosperous coastal trade center of Ugarit. Survivors of the Bronze Age collapse include Egypt, Assyria, Phoenician holdings, and the mystery of the sea peoples.
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