The Late Hittite Period
Due to its location at the centre of the network of routes
connecting the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia, the
Hittites had their eye on Gaziantep as early as the middle of
the 2nd millennium BC, and fought for control of the area
against the Assyrians and Babylonians. The region
flourished under the Hittites, and was home to major
kingdoms in the Late Hittite Era. The most important
settlements during this period were at the Zincirli Tumulus,
at Yesemek - whose workshops produced sculptures for the
entire kingdom - and at Carchemish, whose worship of the
mother goddess Kubaba spread to the rest of Anatolia and
later to the Greeks and Romans.
Yesemek
Sculpture
Workshop
Near the village of Yesemek, 23
km southeast of ‹slahiye
Yesemek was a sculpture
workshop that produced
sculptures and reliefs for all the
major Hittite cities and
fortresses. The workshop began
production under Shuppiluliuma
I, employed the local Hurrians,
and was deserted after the
Assyrian conquest. Blocks of
basalt brought from the quarries
were roughly carved into
sculptures. In order to avoid
damage during transportation,
the fine detail work was not done
at Yesemek, but at the final
destination. One such sculpture
that was begun in Yesemek and
then completed at its destination
was uncovered at Zincirli.
Visitors can see how the quarry
operated and which techniques
and materials were used to
create the sculptures. The openair
museum boasts over 300
rough sculptures at a variety of
stages of completion.
Other important
settlements
Zincirli Tumulus
In the Fevzipafla region of
Islahiye
The Zincirli Tumulus was an
important settlement in the Late
Hittite Period. Written sources
refer to the city as Sam’al or
Ya’idi. The population of the
kingdom consisted of a
cosmopolitan mix of Luwians,
Sami, Hurrian and Phoenicians,
while the upper classes were
Carchemish was the most
powerful of all the Late Hittite
Kingdoms. Excavations have
uncovered an outer city, inner city
and fortress arranged in a
rectangular pattern. A number of
religious structures and a
processional way featuring blocks
of stone embellished with reliefs
were found in the eastern section
of the ruins overlooking the
Euphrates. These are now on
display at the Museum of
Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara.
Sadly, the ruins of Carchemish
are closed to the public, as they
are located in a military minefield
on the Syrian border.
Aramean. Excavations have
revealed city walls, gates and the
ruins of a multistory palace.
Blocks decorated with reliefs
found here are on display at the
Museum of Anatolian
Civilizations in Ankara.
Carchemish
In the centre of the district of
Karkam›fl, on the banks of the
Euphrates on the Turkish-Syrian
border
The ancient city of Carchemish
was continuously settled for 8000
years - from the Neolithic Age to
the Late Hittite Period.
