The Great Hittite Trail Part 2: Ankara

The Anitkabir - an incredible monument at the heart of Turkey's capital.

Despite many visits to Turkey, this was my first proper foray across the country's interior, and it began on the high speed train from Istanbul's Karikoy region (the part on the Asian side of the city). We whizzed through the outer suburbs of the city and soon we were in a green, hilly paradise. It brought to mind Seton Lloyd's description of the Turkish landmass:

"Anatolia is like an open left hand, palm upturned, with the thumb curled inwards to represent the Taurus Mountains in the southeast. The palm represents the central plateau and the heel of the hand the eastern massif, and the fingers the diminishing ranges which extend westward to find their echo in the islands of the Aegean"

A terrain map of Turkey. Can you see the 'open left hand' pattern Seton Lloyd spoke of? Once you do, you'll never forget it! The train route from Istanbul to Ankara is marked out in red.

Hittite Lands, here we come!

Speeding towards Ankara on the train, we were traversing the land of valleys and rivers - the 'fingers' of Lloyd's useful mnemonic. With every mile we travelled, we were also climbing - because we were headed towards that central plateau, a rugged land ranging from 2,000-10,000 feet above sea level... the heartland of the Hittite Empire.

The green valleys of northwestern Turkey - the fingers of Seton Lloyd's 'open left hand'.

I settled back, popped in my earphones to listen to an H.G. Wells audiobook (War of the Worlds) and drank in the views of the wooded hills, river vales and hazy summer sky. Having paid a whole 36 Turkish Lira (roughly £4.50) for this 4 hour train trip, I had in my backpack a bottle of water and a rather uninspiring pretzel. After all, this was economy class, so you have to bring your own grub, right?

Wrong! The trolley chap came along and started loading food onto my table: fruit juice, fresh bread, dried apricots, olives, salad, cheeses, cakes, coffee... a veritable feast - all complimentary with the economy service. I'm not sure he understood why I started gibbering in gratitude, but thankful I was and I munched away for the next hour of the trip.

Free scran! Well it felt like it anyway. You'd pay £4.50 for a coffee and a biscuit on British trains. Here, you get your ticket and all of this for the same price!

As we gradually ascended onto the inner plateau, I was reminded of another traveller's description of the changing landscape. Gertrude Bell, writer and archaeologist said:

"Before me stretch wide plains, corn-growing where rainfall and springs permit, often enough barren  save for a dry scrub of aromatic herbs, or flecked with shining miles of saline deposit; naked ranges of mountains stand sentinel over this expanse"

​Very evocative! I really did feel like I was entering a different land - cooler (still sweltering though) higher and differently shaped. And the city of Ankara itself is very different to Istanbul. Smaller - just the 5 million people here! - and with a very different vibe. It isn't as 'pretty' as Istanbul, but it does have its own type of ascetic beauty. Spread across the wide open hills and plains like a defiant outpost it more accurately personifies Turkey as a country.

The very different terrain of the inner plateau.

Ankara Castle, originally constructed by the Byzantine Emperor Constans II in the 7th century AD.

Another bonus is that the prices here are vastly cheaper than in Istanbul.​​ After arriving in central Ankara, I enjoyed a lunch of tasty doner kebab and cold coke which cost less than 2 quid, and the '2017 hotel' (breakfast included) cost £20 per night - good value for a traveller on a budget.

First, I had to visit the Anitkabir - an iconic structure that defines modern Turkey, and has Hittite connections. I'll let my YouTube vid explain:

And it was a pleasant surprise to find Hittite lion statues lining the approach to the monument.

But the main reason I was here in Ankara was for its famed Museum of Anatolian Civilizations - an absolute treasure trove of history, with exhibits ranging from the stone age, the Hittite period and all the way through to Byzantine times.

I wasn't sure just how much Hittite stuff I would find here. What if the Hittite collection amounted to no more than a few bits and pieces? So I was absolutely thrilled to see, on my approach, this giant replica of a Hittite totem (known as a huwasi)... as well as some other rather light-hearted Hittite references...

A replica of a huwasi statue from Alaca Höyük - a city possibly known in the Hittite era as 'Arinna'

A Hittite warrior - possibly a Mesedi (royal guard) - showing me the way to the toilets :)

Inside the museum was even better. Laid out in successive epochs, starting with the paleolithic era, it beautifully tells Anatolia's story with a selection of glass-case artefacts, interactive big screens and tableau recreations of ancient homes. I could actually 'see' Hittite culture emerging into history, especially with the variety of sun disc artefacts dating from the late 3rd/early 2nd millenium BC. The sun disc would go on to become a Hittite royal symbol by around 1600 BC.

An early Anatolian (pre-Hittite) sun disc.

Then I came to the Hittite section proper. The first thing that struck me was the number of tablets. Beautiful and majestic things. Whole and undamaged unlike the Kadesh treaty. There was even one incredible bronze slab, laced with chains, authored by King Tudhaliya IV, son of our hero, Hattu. 

Is this not a breathtaking piece? This intact bronze tablet was discovered near Hattusa's Sphinx Gate. The tablet details a treaty between King Tudhaliya IV and Kurunta, King of Tarhuntassa (a Hittite sub-kingdom).

Another intact tablet (this time clay), unearthed at Hattusa. There is something absolutely captivating about these pieces - splashes of the distant past captured on clay for over 3,000 years! The tablet is etched with a script known as Cuneiform A - so called because the scribes who wrote it used a small wedge (cuneus in latin) to make the marks in the clay.

A veritable library of history: hundreds of tablets on display - and many thousands more have been excavated.

And how beautiful is this: one clay tablet, still partially wrapped in its clay 'envelope' - which is itself marked along the bottom with heiroglyphs from a cylinder seal.

The mark mde by a Hittite royal stamp seal. The Hittite King (the Labarna) would press his seal into the soft clay to 'sign' important tablets before they were baked hard. Note the mix of cuneiform a-script around the edges of the seal-marking, and the hieroglyphs in the centre. This is why we know it is a royal seal, as only Hittite Kings were allowed to use script and glyphs. The hieroglyphs show a winged sun disc. Below each wing tip we see the great king symbol. The tall triangle represents an ordinary king, and the kidney-shape on top makes it a 'great' king. Also... this seal probably belonged to a certain King Urhi-Teshub...

There were statues of the sacred twin Hittite bulls too - Serris and Hurris. There were drinking vessels, seals, brooches, rather detailed wedding night manuals* painted in the sides of vases. The world that had existed in my head until now was real, tangible... right before my eyes.

*I'll leave the details to your imagination :)

These two bulls are Serris and Hurris. Tarhunda, Hittite God of Thunder, would walk on these creatures' backs.

Hittite axe heads and matching smiths' moulds, tridents, millstones and more.

The multitude of Hittite animal-shaped vessels that have been unearthed. Lions and eagles seem to have been particular favourites. Also notice near the centre of the photo the upturned boots - a model of typical Hittite footwear.

​A bronze handled sword with an iron blade. A very interesting find and one that stokes the old 'did the Hittites use iron weapons' debate.

And then there were the architectural pieces. Great monoliths carved with the figures of Hittite Gods. Orthostats (stone slabs that once clad Hittite walls and gates) engraved with scenes of ancient legends such as Gilgamesh, or depictions of marching Hittite warriors, More lions, griffins and winged bulls too. I happily snapped away with my camera, all the while thinking just how close the next stop of my adventure was. Hattusa, capital of the Hittites, where many of these treasures came from, was but a few hours away ;)

Orthostats (stone cladding from city walls) showing Hittite - possibly neo-Hittite - royal guards marching.

More incredible orthostats from the city of Aslantepe ("Lion Hill"): a scene of libation to the gods. Tarhunda, God of the Storm, leads a procession of deities on the right, while a Hittie King pours wine into a vessel on the left, and a bull is sacrificed behind him.

Winged griffin-demons from the walls of Carchemish (Gargamis in Empires of Bronze).

A nice selection of literature in the museum shop. I picked up a copy of "Anatolia: on the trail of the Hittite Civilization" (in the middle), as it included a perfect guide to a walking visit around Hattusa... the next leg of my adventure! I also left a pile of Empires of Bronze bookmarks with the staff here :)

But first, a little bit of Roman research...

Before heading to Hattusa, I had to see what other historical gems I could spot here in Ankara. In this respect, a stroll into downtown Ankara is well worth it if you have the time. I found the Column of Julian the Apostate, the Temple of Augustus and the Great Baths of Caracalla (infuriatingly closed minutes before I arrived, but I still managed to get a few shots through the fence).

Check it out:

Market day! Ankara's back streets are packed with bargains. Even better, it's less touristy than Istanbul so you don't get hassled and can browse in peace.

The column of Julian 'the Apostate', the 4th century AD Roman Emperor who almost returned the empire to pagan worship.

Me larking around at the foot of the column (quite chirpy after a super strength Turkish coffee).

A nice panoramic from the mount of the Temple of Augustus.

The surviving 1st century AD walls of the Temple of Augustus, with the abutting pink and white stonework of the later mosque. Famously, the wall sof this place have one of the best-surviving inscriptions of Emperor Augustus' work "Res Gestae" ("things I did") in both Greek and Latin.

The lonely ruins of Emperor Caracalla's Great Bathhouse.

A Roman tombstone in the bathhouse grounds.

All of the above sightseeing was spliced pleasantly with turkish coffee and baklava in the shade of street side cafes. A lovely way to round up the Ankara leg of the trip. Next up... Hattusa, the heart of the Hittite Empire!

Ankara Travel Tips

• My map of all hotels, sights and travel connections
• It's notably cheaper to eat and stay here. As much as half the price of Istanbul.
• Unlike Istanbul there are less English-speakers here, so have your guide book and/or Google Translate open and ready.
• It can be quite cool here at nights, even in the summer, so it's an idea to have a hoodie/zipper or something to keep you comfortable when exploring or eating out in the evening.

A full gallery of my visit to Ankara is available here on Facebook (Like and follow, please!)

​Read 'The Great Hititte Trail' Part 3:
​Hattusa, The Ancient Hittite Capital. >>

Quick navigation:

• The 'Great Hittite Trail' Part 1: Istanbul
• The 'Great Hittite Trail' Part 2: Ankara (this page!)
• The 'Great Hittite Trail' Part 3: Hattusa
• The 'Great Hittite Trail' Part 4: Eastern Turkey
• The 'Great Hittite Trail' Part 5: Georgia

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​Gordon Doherty is the author of the Empires of Bronze series, available in eBook, paperback and audiobook formats.

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Book 1 'SON OF ISHTAR'