Boğazkale is the Turkish name for Hattusa, the most important Hittite site in Turkey. It was a religious, cultural and administrative centre and its cuneiform tablets of clay and bronze have proved an invaluable source of information about the people. Occupied since the 6th millennium BC, it became the capital of the Hatti in about 1600 BC and lasted around 400 years until overcome by the Phrygians. It was called the City of the Temples because of its 70 religious houses, the largest being the 1400BC Great Temple dedicated to the Storm God Teshub. Rivers to the west and east provide natural defensive escarpments, and the 7km city wall on the south side is pierced by the King’s Gate, Sphynx Gate and the dramatic Lion’s Gate.

A shrine depicting 12 gods of the Underworld, from 1250-20BC, can be seen in John Henry Haynes: A Photographer and Archaeologist in the Ottoman Empire 1881–1900

Getting There: Boğazkale is 200km from Ankara. A bus from Ankara goes to Sungurlu, where you can take a minibus or taxi for the last 30km.