Although most of the Büyük Kale site has been excavated, many of the older layers of development have been re-covered to protect them, so what you see today can be hard to decipher. This fortress held the royal palace and the Hittite state archives.
Nearby Central Anatolia attractions
1. Güney Kale
0.08 MILES
Immediately opposite Nişantaş, a path leads up to the excavated Güney Kale with a fine (fenced-off) hieroglyphics chamber with human figure reliefs.
2. Nişantaş
0.17 MILES
At Nişantaş a rock with a faintly visible Hittite inscription cut into it narrates the deeds of Suppiluliuma II (1215–1200 BC), the final Hittite king.
3. Sarı Kale
0.25 MILES
About 250m south of the lower city and temple ruins the road forks; take the right fork and follow the winding road up the hillside. On your left in the…
4. Lower City & Temple
0.33 MILES
This vast complex, dating from the 14th century BC and destroyed around 1200 BC, is the closest archaeological site to the entrance gate and the best…
5. Hattuşa
0.33 MILES
In the Bronze Age, the Hittite kingdom encompassed an area that stretched west to the Aegean Sea and south into Syria with its command centre here in the…
6. Yenıce Kale
0.44 MILES
Upon the top of this rock outcrop are the remains of the Yenıce Kale, which may have been a royal residence or small temple. You can climb to the summit…
7. Upper City Temple District
0.45 MILES
Best viewed from atop the mound of Yer Kapı, Hattuşa's upper city temple district was once a grand centre of 24 temples dedicated to the Hittites' many…
8. City Wall Reconstruction
0.46 MILES
As you climb out of Boğazkale to the site, an evocative reconstruction of a section of city wall comes into view allowing you a sense of what the…