CENTRAL ANATOLIA ANKARA GORDION MİDAS ŞEHRİ ESKİŞEHİR TUZ GÖLÜ-SALT LAKE CAPPADOCIA Ağzıkarahan Nevşehir Gülşehir Hacıbektaş Ortahisar Uçhisar Göreme Çavuşin Zelve Avanos Kayseri Kültepe Sultansazlığı Ürgüp Mustafapaşa Cemilköy Soğanlı Kaymaklı Derinkuyu Ihlara Canyon SULTANHAN AKŞEHİR KONYA ÇATALHÖYÜK KARAPINAR İVRİZ KARAMAN BOĞAZKALE Alacahöyük Hattuşa Yazılıkaya SİVAS KANGAL DİVRİĞİ BOĞAZKALE - ALACAHÖYÜK NATIONAL PARK The three main hittite sites of Hattuşa, Yazılıkaya and Alacahöyük are located 208 km / 130 miles north-east of Ankara in the province of Çorum in Boğazkale -Alacahöyük National Park. Each of these cities-sanctuary played an important role in Hittite history. ALACAHÖYÜK Alacahöyük is located 34 km / 21 miles north of Boğazkale. The excavations have revealed four layers from different cultures starting from the Chalcolithic period in the middle of the 4th millenium. Thirteen royal graves dating back to the Ancient Bronze period (around 2300 BC) have been excavated: they contained gold, silver, electrum and bronze objects like statuettes, vessel, jewels and accessories, weapons ...and the sun disk shaped ceremonial standards. The most beautiful artifacts are now on display at Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Museum. Gold Twin Idols Bronze Ceremonial Standard. 2nd half of 3rd millenium The first capital of the Hittite invaders is supposed to have been ancient Kuşara (or Arinna) identified as Alacahöyük, according to many Hittite inscriptions. Towards the end of the 19C BC the Hittite princes of Kuşara showed their supremacy over the other peoples who had settled in Anatolia: King Pithana and his son Annita defeated the kings of Hattuşa which became the new capital of the Hittites from the 18C BC. Around 1200 BC after the Hittite Empire came to an end, the "Sea Peoples" settled on the ruins of the Hittite cities of northern Anatolia, that they had destroyed. Under the Phrygian period Kuşara declined very rapidly reaching the size of a small village which however remained inhabited until the Ottoman period. During the Hittite period, the city was protected by strong walls with many gates set in them. The most impressive is the monumental Sphinx Gate which opened on the south. A small museum displays findings of different periods, made in the region. HATTUŞA Towards the end of the 19C BC , the supremacy of the Hittites stood out above the other peoples of Anatolia, thanks to the kings of Kuşara (Alacahöyük) Pithana and his son Anitta. The latter conquered the city of Hatti, that later became Hattuşa (today Boğazkale). Hittite king Labarna I, who made Hattuşa the capital of this Old Empire in the 18C BC, for the purpose took the name Hattuşili I. After reaching its apogée under the reign of this king and his successor Mursili I, the empire declined. It enjoyed a revival in the 14C BC under King Supiluliuma. The New Empire suddenly came to an end around 1200 BC with the invasions of the "Sea Peoples". The city was of great influence in Anatolia and in the north of Syria during the second millenium BC. Hattuşa has been declared by the UNESCO to be one of the Eminent Cultural Heritages of the World. The Lower City with the Great Temple, is dedicated to Teshub the Hurrite thunderstorm god which later became the great Hittite god. The Upper City : Büyük Kale is the citadel where are the remains of the double walls, palaces, temples, stores and state buildings with archives where written tablets have been discovered. The Royal Gate with a corbelled vault is set in the walls. The Three Temples Yerkapı is a passage-tunnel that leads outside the walls. The Lions Gate is one of the best preserved remains. YAZILIKAYA The rock-cut Hittite sanctuary of Yazılıkaya (which means "inscribed rock) is located near Boğazkale. It was established during the New Empire in a naturally preserved rocky place forming galleries or narrow passes which faces are covered with low reliefs. Only the plan of the temple is still visible but the sanctuary has two interesting galleries: The Great Gallery is a Hittite pantheon that includes 56 low reliefs with hieroglyphic texts identifying and explaining them. It leads to the Great Temple. The Smal Gallery has the best preserved frieze depicting the numerous Hittite gods. SİVAS Located in the broad valley of the Kızılırmak (ancient Halys) at an altitude of 1,275m/ 4,185 ft, Sivas is the highest city on the central Anatolian plateau. Although excavations made at a mound known as Toprak Tepesi have revealed traces of a Hittite settlement and besides the fact that the region came under the Phrygian, Lydian and Persian domination, almost nothing is known of Sivas' history until the Roman period when a city known as Sebasteia was founded in honor of Emperor Augustus in the late first century BC. Because of its location at the crossroads of the caravan routes between East and West and North and South, the city became an important trade metropolis. Christianity spread in the city in the 2nd century, but in the early 4th century, the Christians suffered from the tyranny of the Emperor Licinius with whom the story of the Fourty Martyrs of Sebasteia is associated. During the Byzantine period, Sebasteia became a bishopric. In the 6th century, Justinian had the walls strengthened but this did not prevent the city to be temporarily occupied by the Sassanid Persians in the late 6th century and by the Ommeyads in the 7th century. The Byzantine Empire having striven for a long time to subdue the small Armenian kingdoms across its borders, in 1021, King Senekerim Hovhannes of Vaspourakan (Van region), also worried by the incursions of the Seljuk Turks into the Byzantine territories in Eastern Anatolia, ceded his dominion to the Byzantine Emperor Basil II, receiving in exchange Sebastia, a safer area where an important Armenian population lived. However, the new kingdom lasted only half a century due to the desire of the Byzantines to extinct the Armenian political life and the intolerance of the Greek clergy asking for the conversion of the Armenians to the Greek Orthodox faith: King Senekerim's sons were killed (like the Armenian Bagratid rulers of Kars) in Sebasteia in 1080, and their properties were attached to the Empire. Following the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, the Byzantines lost their Anatolian provinces to the Seljuk Turks. During much of the 12th century, Sebasteia, renamed Sivas, remained the capital of the powerful emirate of the Danişmend Turks. In 1171, the city was united to the great Seljuk State by Kılıç Arslan II. Sultan Alaaddin Keykubad I (1220-1237) built up fortifications around the city which was no longer protected. Sivas flourished politically and commercially and became a reputed cultural center where beautiful monuments were built. Taken by the Mongols in the 13th century, the city was ruled by Ilkanid governors, of which the Eretnaoğulları who soon declared their independence. Their young and last ruler, Mehmet Bey, was overthrown by Kadı Burhâneddin (1381-1398) of the Karamanoğulları who founded his own state. When he was killed in a battle against the Akkoyunlular (the White Sheep), the local population with their leader Alaeddin decided to deliver Sivas to the Ottoman Sultan Bayezit I in order to free themselves from Karamanid oppression. In 1400, the Mongol Tamerlane destroyed the walls and sacked the city which declined considerably. Although it never regained its former prosperity, Sivas was an important provincial capital under the Ottoman Empire. From the late 19th century, with the development of railways, the city gained new economic importance. Following the Congress of Erzurum, between September 4-11,1919, Sivas was the host of the second nationalistic congress which, under the chairmanship of Mustafa Kemal, decided the liberation of Turkey starting the War of Independence. Sivas is linked by regular flights to Istanbul and Ankara. Places of interest: The Gök Medresesi (the Celestial Medrese), located on Cumhuriyet Caddesi, was built in 1271 by Vizier Sahip Ata during the rule of Giyaseddin Keyhüsrev III. In plan, proportion, and decoration it is the most developed of all Seljuk medreses. The plan follows a traditional four iwan courtyard medrese. The highly decorated central portal is flanked on either side by a red brick minaret decorated with blue glazed tiles.   The Çifte Minareli Medrese (the twin minarets medrese) was commissioned by the Mongol Ilkanid governor Şemseddin Mehmet Cüneyt and completed in 1243. The medrese not only served as a coranic school but Islamic law courses were also taught here. In 1882, the medrese, in poor condition, was partly pulled down and the main iwan was temporarily converted into a hospital, then used as a military school. Between 1914-1960 it served as a primary school before it was completely demolished except for the facade with the portal and minarets which was preserved and strengthened with buttresses. This medrese and the following monuments are all situated in close proximity to one another.   The Şifaiye Medresesi was built in 1217-1218 at the behest of the Seljuk Sultan İzeddin Keykavus I who liked very much the city of Sivas. The medrese was used as a hospital (darüşşifa in Turkish) and a medical school and was the largest of its kind in Anatolia. Patients suffering from eye, internal and skin diseases were treated in these healing centres. Besides, therapy based on music, faith and suggestion played an important role in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. After İzeddin Keykavus I died young of tuberculosis in 1220, he was buried in the south iwan of the medrese in accordance with his will (the tombs of the other Seljuk sultans are in Kayseri and Konya). The tomb of the sultan is a square chamber topped by a conical dome with a a decagonal base, rising above the hospital walls. The red brick and geometric glazed tile decoration of the façade and interior contrasts with the stone decoration of the hospital. Kufic script inscriptions above the entrance mention the name of Ahmet of Marand, the master craftsman from Azerbaijan who made the tile decoration and the date of completion as 617 A.H. (1220). In addition to that of the Sultan İzeddin Keykavus I, twelve other sarcophagi, belonging to his relatives, can be seen inside the monument. The old hospital-medrese today houses handicraft shops and a café.   Buruciye Medresesi is another medrese dating from the time of Giyaseddin Keyhüsrev III and was built in 1271-1272 by Muzaffer Burucerdi (Burujerdi). Its stone carving makes this medrese one of the best examples of Seljuk architecture. Buruciye Medresesi, which is temporarily under restoration, houses the Archaeological Museum.   Ulu Cami (the Great Mosque), the oldest mosque in the city, was built by Kızıl Arslan bin Ibrahim in 1196-1197 on a rectangular plan. From the exterior the prayer hall appears long and low, owing to its flat roof supported by wooden beams set on stone piers. The minaret dates from the first half of the 13th century and has an octagonal base decorated with a Kufic inscription made of turquoise tiles. The Museum of Atatürk and Congress: the building, a high school built in 1892 by the Governor Mehmet Memduh Bey, is an example of the 19th century late Ottoman civilian architecture. The school hall was assigned to Mustafa Kemal and his friends as the headquarters where they would hold the Sivas Congress meetings between 4-11 September 1919. The building served as a school until 1981 and, in 1984, was transformed into a museum displaying documents over the War of Independance and the 1919 Congress. The ground floor houses an Ethnographical museum. The museum is located on the Istasyon Caddesi. (Closed on Mondays)   Toprak Tepesi is a mound with a nice view over the city. It was crowned with a Roman citadel restored by the Byzantines, the Seljuks and the Ottomans. Remains of Hittite houses have been excavated here. KANGAL Kangal is famous for its thermal springs called "Balıklı Kaplıca", a center for the treatment of psoriasis and skin diseases unique in the world. The springs, rich in minerals and known for their curative effects, are filled with two types of healer fishes whose length does not exceed 19-20 cm / 7.5-7.8 inches. The Cyprinion macrostomus macrostomus which act as "strikers" (they are the smaller) locating and nibbling at the diseased area, and the Garra rufa obtusa which act as "lickers" swallowing the dead tissue (they have stronger jaws) are of the Cyprinidae (carp) family. These omnivorous fishes, which feed on phytoplankton and zooplankton found only in small amount in the pools, do not grow larger because they live in hot water at 37 C / 99 F. Scientific researches and the observation of patients have shown that there are mainly five factors to recover from the psoriasis in the thermal center: entering the pool twice a day and stay in the water for eight hours in total for physical contact with the fishes that totally "clean" the affected areas of the skin; the benefit from drinking the healing water which contains selenium (1.3 ppm) known to be the most friendly element for the skin and to be most effective in curing dermatological diseases; the advantage of high altitude (1650 m / 5,413 ft from the sea level) with the direct effect of natural ultraviolet radiation; the natural jacuzzi effect of the springs which flow into the pools; the Reverse Koebner Phenomenon (Koebner Phenomenon is a reaction to skin injury often seen in psoriasis patients, and victims of some other diseases). During the three weeks pool therapy usually recommended, no alcohol should be taken (consumption of alcohol is not allowed within the public precincts of the centre). Towels, slippers and bathrobe are not provided by the thermal establishment. The center offers simple but well equipped facilities to the patients. For the therapy, there are separate treatment pools for both women and men, indoor treatment pools, sections without fish and private baths. In addition, a pool for public use is reserved for the persons passing through Kangal who wish to immerse themselves in the thermal waters. The water has been reported as being also beneficial in rheumatic disease, neurologic disorders (neuralgia, neuritis, paralysis), orthopaedic and traumatological sequelae (fractures, joint trauma, and muscle disease), gynaecological problems (by lavage), urolithiasis (by drinking), and psychosomatic disorders. Balıklı Kaplıca is located 13 km / 8 miles from Kangal and 98 km / 61 miles from Sivas. View of the hotel The fishes in their natural environment One of the treatment pools The fishes are trying to locate disease skin by nibbling at my legs and feet. Fortunately I am not affected by psoriasis, I am only experiencing the contact with the fishes: in fact, it is a very nice sensation! The region of Kangal is also reputed for its ancient breed of big sheepdog called "Kangal" (or Sivas Kangal), the national dog of Turkey which has proved its faith and efficacy. This strongly-built dog has a soft and thick body coat which ranges from cream color to dun and steel grey, and is distinguished by its black muzzle and ears. The Kangal dog lives in pairs for life. When guarding flocks of sheep and goats, the Kangal dog wears a spiked iron collar around its neck to ward off the attacks of wolves and bears against which it can easily fight. DİVRİĞİ Ancient Tephrike was a Byzantine fortified town that was conquered by the Seljuk Turks at the end of the 11C, and became the capital of the Mengucekid emirs. Sacked by the Mongols, Divriği was united to the Ottoman Empire in 1516. In 1228-29, Emir Ahmet Shah built a beautiful mosque composed of a single prayer room crowned with two domes, and a hospital beside. A high technique used in the construction of the vaults and a type of ornemental sculpture that shows a great creativity and originality ( in particular the northern portal which is a masterpiece of stonework, showing a contrast with the sobriety of the inner walls) are the unique characteristics of this masterpiece of Islamic architecture. The Monument has been declared by the UNESCO to be one of the Eminent Cultural Heritages of the World.