Hattusha

Take the bus to Sungrulu from Ankara and track down a dolmus to take you to the village of Bogazkale. There, stay at an amazingly clean and inexpensive hotel while taking a day or two to soak up the magnificent bronze age site of Hattusha.

Hattusha was once the capital of the Hittites. To the everyday visitor it is a grassy matrix of stone building foundations stretching up along the Anatolian hills. Most of the site is surrounded by the ruins of a thick stone wall supported by a substantial earth berm at its southernmost tip. Most impressive is the tunnel used by Hittite guards that runs under the berm. I essentially walked in their footsteps.

Hattusha is a feast for the eyes. Following the road that runs along the side of the wall, I climbed higher and higher. At Sphinx Gate (location of the awesome guard tunnel), I could see well beyond Bogazkale, the village that was renting me a bed. I could also see the Temple Complex at the entrance of the site... much more impressive from above than from the ground.

While wandering around Bogazkale, I encountered serpentine carvers who were making souvenirs for tourists. I talked with them awhile... the Turkish love of discussing politics goes a long way, breaking through even the most daunting language barriers. I drank so much tea I didn't think I'd be able to sleep for a week.