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06 · ROCK SANCTUARY · LANDSCAPE

Procession of Yazılıkaya

The gods advance through a rock fissure

The figures of gods and goddesses were carved into the walls of two natural rock chambers.

Museum documentation · free public access, no account required.

DECLARED VISUAL RECONSTRUCTION · AI-GENERATED IMAGE · TRACEKEEPERS

Generated reconstruction · Declared visual hypothesis

Declared visual reconstruction; not a photograph of the original nor documentary evidence.

Specific historical recreation of The gods advance through a rock fissure, Yazılıkaya, near Hattusa, Main configuration of the 13th century BCE
DECLARED VISUAL RECONSTRUCTION · AI-GENERATED IMAGE · TRACEKEEPERS

Generated reconstruction · Declared visual hypothesis

Declared visual reconstruction; not a photograph of the original nor documentary evidence.

History and context

In natural chambers near Hattusa, processions of gods and goddesses were carved into the rock. Hieroglyphic names, headdresses and supporting animals order a pantheon where Hittite and Hurrian traditions converge.

Tudhaliya IV appears embraced by a deity in chamber B. Calendar readings have been proposed for the figure groups, but the strongest consensus recognises a dynastic and festive sanctuary, not a calendar demonstrated in every relief.

The natural chambers gather processions of gods and goddesses with hieroglyphic names, headdresses and supporting animals. The presence of Tudhaliya IV and Hurrian repertoires links sanctuary, dynasty and religious diversity of the capital.

Calendars, funerary rites and specific festivals have been proposed to order the figures, but no reading explains the entire ensemble with certainty. The image must start from the preserved reliefs and mark the discussed functions.

Evidence and interpretation

Documented fact: reliefs, divine names and architectural association with Hattusa are preserved; Tudhaliya IV drove the final imperial phase. Interpretation and caution: the precise funerary or calendar functions of each chamber remain debated.

Catalogue facts

Narrative date
Main configuration of the 13th century BCE
Location
Yazılıkaya, near Hattusa
Material
Relief on natural limestone · lost access architecture
Context
Rock sanctuary linked to the capital
Curatorial reading
The documented fact and its interpretation appear separately in the evidence block.
Date
Main configuration of the 13th century BCE
Location
Yazılıkaya, near Hattusa
Support
Relief on natural limestone · lost access architecture
Documentary coverage
3 museum, heritage, primary corpus or research sources for this stop.

A closer look

About 1 min to read · 1 section. Further reading and sources · free access. Editorial review recorded: .

The king changes his relationship with the divine

Tudhaliya IV appears in chamber A in ceremonial dress, with a curved staff and his feet on two mountains; in chamber B, his relationship with the deity is expressed through the protective embrace of Sharruma. Comparing both images allows us to observe two ways of formulating authority: a regal figure standing out before the assembly and a sovereign led or protected by a god. The reliefs are not interchangeable portraits. Their position and gesture make the passage through the chambers change the presentation of the monarch.

Location and territory

Physical world map with routes of human evolutionPresent-day world coastline from Natural Earth in an equirectangular projection. The overlaid markers let you explore each milestone.Map base: Natural Earth 1:110m · public domain · present-day reference coastline

LOCATED SITE

Hattusa and Yazılıkaya · TurkeyLandscape marker of the Hittite capital.

Sources and references

Expand this information and consult its sources

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