Turkey In Photos - History

The old Bronze Age (2600-1900 BC) was the time when Anatolian man first developed cities of substantial size. An indigenous people now named the Proto-Hittites, or the Hattians, built a cities at Kanesh (or Nesa-today's Kultepe) and Alacahoyuk. The first known ruler of Kanesh was King Zipani (about 2300 BC) according to the Akkadian texts. You can visit the archeological site near Kultepe, 21 km. northeast of Kayseri. On the other hand, Alacahoyuk, located 36 km. from Bogazkale, was perhaps the most important pre-Hittite city and it may have been the first Hittite capital.

The Hittites were the Biblical people who are called Children of Heath. These people are mentioned several times in the Old Testament. The Hittites, people of Indo-European language, overran this area and established themselves as a ruling class over the local people during the Middle Bronze Age (1900-1600 BC). The took over existing cities and built a magnificent capital at Hattusas (today's Bogazkale), about 212 km. east of Ankara near Sungurlu. The early Hittite Kingdom (1600-1500 BC) was replaced by the greater Hittite Empire (1450-1200 BC). They captured Syria from the Egyptians (1380-1316), clashed with the great Ramses II in the Battle of Kadesh (in 1298 BC) and meanwhile developed a wonderful culture. Their graceful pottery, ironwork ornaments and implements, gold jewellery and figurines now fill a large section of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara. The striking site of Hattusas is worth a visit, as is the religious center of Yazilikaya nearby. The Hittite religion was based upon worship of a sun goddess and a storm god.

The Hittite Empire was weakened in its final period by the cities of Assuwa, a union of cities along the Aegean Coast, including Troy. The Trojans were attacked by Achaean Greeks in 1250 - the Trojan War - which gave the Hittites a break. But the break ended with a massive invasion of sea people from various Greek islands and city-states. Driven from their homelandsby the invadin Dorians, the sea people flocked into Anatoliaby way of the Aegean coast and the Hittite state survived for a few centuries longer in the south-eastern Taurus Mountains, but the great Empire was eventually dead.