Alacahöyük Müze Ve Ören Yeri

Alacahöyük Ruins is located in Alacahöyük Town of Alaca District of Çorum. In the excavations that began in 1935, 4 civilizations were uncovered in this important cultural and artistic center of the Hittites.

Alacahöyük 1st civilization layer is represented by the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk-Ottoman periods. In the 1st cultural layer, the entire mound was inhabited in the Late Phrygian age. Settlements consisting of small houses were found in this layer.

Alacahöyük 2nd civilization layer consists of a temple, large structures, special-block houses, streets, large and small water channels, the city wall, and sphinxes decorated with orthostats, one of which is relief-carved. The width of the Sphinx Gate, built with andesite blocks on a limestone foundation, is 10 meters and it is the monumental passage of the great temple.

Alacahöyük 3rd civilization layer is the Early Bronze Age. (2500-2000 BC) The Early Bronze Age royal tombs of Alacahöyük, which made great contributions to illuminating the indigenous Hatti Civilization, one of the leading cultures that formed the source of Hittite culture, are the most important finds of this age. The intramural tombs were gathered in a specially separated area. The rectangular tombs, built with stone on all four sides, were covered with wooden beams, and the heads and legs of sacrificed cattle were placed on their roofs. Rich grave gifts consisting of gold, silver, electrum, copper, bronze, iron and precious stones show that they belonged to the dynasty. The repoussé, casting and inlay techniques of mostly gold and silver vessels, and the delicate ornaments of gold jewelry, are the products of a long development.

Alacahöyük 4th civilization layer reflects the Late Chalcolithic Age, that is, the first civilization established on the virgin soil.

Alacahöyük Royal Tombs

The monumental sphinxes of Alacahöyük, welcoming visitors with hospitality thousands of years old, were built with andesite blocks on a limestone foundation. The jamb blocks on both sides of the Sphinx Gate were carved in the appearance of sphinxes. The inner and outer faces of these two towers, where the sphinxes are located, were decorated with relief orthostats. The bull figure seen in the reliefs on the western tower symbolizes the “Storm God of the Skies". The most important finds of Alacahöyük, which sheds light on Hittite architecture and art with its foundations and other finds belonging to the settlement, are the royal tombs. The tombs, whose sides were built with stone, were covered with wooden beams, and the heads and legs of the sacrificed cattle were placed on their roofs. In these 13 tombs, thought to belong to princes and princesses and dated to the Early Bronze Age, ornaments, sun discs, deer and bull statues, weapons such as daggers, swords and axes, and works and ornaments made of terracotta, stone, gold, silver, bronze, copper and electrum were found.

Alacahöyük Museum

The first local museum in Alacahöyük was opened in 1940. The museum, which moved to its building within the ruins in 1982, was rearranged in 2011. The artifacts uncovered in the Alacahöyük excavations that began in 1935 are exhibited in halls named after the excavation directors. On the wall panels in the Hamit Zübeyr KOŞAY hall, the place and importance of the Alacahöyük excavations in Turkish archaeology are explained. In the display case where the history of the excavation is told, excavation materials and some of the scientific publications related to the Alacahöyük excavation are exhibited. Artifacts from the Chalcolithic, Early Bronze Age and Hittite periods obtained in the Alacahöyük excavation are exhibited in the Remzi Oğuz ARIK hall, while artifacts from the Hittite and Phrygian periods are exhibited in the Mahmut AKOK hall.

It began in 1935 under the direction of R.O. Arık on behalf of the Turkish Historical Society by the order of Atatürk. The Alacahöyük excavation is one of Turkey’s first national excavations.

Source: Çorum Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism - Çorum with its Geography, History, Culture and Literature

Places to Visit in Çorum Address: Alacahöyük-ÇORUM