Alacahoyuk: the Hittite Ruins off the Beaten Track

Alacahoyuk is, after the Hittite capital of Hattusa-Bogazkale, the second most important Hittite site currently under excavation in Turkey. It was already in existence in pre-Hittite times, probably as early as 4000BC.

Alacahoyuk was once the most important city during the pre-Hittite times, before the arrivals of the Hittites and the rise of the Hittie capital of Hattusa. After the demise of the Hittite Empire, the settlement of Alacahoyuk also went to into decline, and the site was only re-discovered in 1839.

Amongst the most important artefacts discovered in Alacahoyuk are the bronze sun disks, the gold and silver jewellery, the animal figures made of bronze and clay, etc. which were found inside the graves of the princes buried in the burial mounds of Alacahoyuk. Most of these items are now on permanent display at the Museum of Anatolian Civilization in Ankara.

Nowdays most of the outdoor exhibits on display around the compounds of Alacahoyuk are replicas; the real stuffs are all on display in Ankara's museum. During the summer months, archaeological excavations are being carried out on the site, which has unearthed a series of adjoining rooms and foundations, as well as drainage system dated from the Hittite era. 

Two gates have been identified at the site of Alacahoyuk so far; the Western Gate, which only its main walls were found, and the Sphinx Gate, also known as the Southern Gate. The Sphinx Gate, with two sphinxes facing outward on each side of the flank, was the main entrance of Alacahoyuk during the time when the city was still inhabited. Beneath the sphinxes are rows of relief depicting processions of the Hittite weather god with the king, the queen, the priest and some sacrificial animals.s.an enthroned goddess, a procession including the weather god with the king, the queen and yhr priest, and sacrificial beasts following them

Just like in the case of the on-going excavations at Hattusa, local residents of Alacahoyuk also participated in the excavation of the site during the summer months. As in the case of any archaeological excavations in Turkey, works are only carried out in the summer, and the process is a slow one, out of fear of destroying potential finds. Every inch of earth was carefully dug out and removed to the side to allow for expert examination of its contents. 

Near the entrance to Alacahoyuk is a small museum that houses some artefacts unearthed from previous decades of excavations. Given its far smaller size, Alacahoyuk is often overlooked by visitors interested in visiting Hittite monuments in the region. While some tourists are not even aware of its existence, many who are are unfortunately short of time will simply travel by minibus or taxi from Sungurlu to Bogazkale, tour the Hattusa ruins for a few hours, and then either head south to Cappadocia or northeast to Amasya and the Black Sea region. Few bother to spend one afternoon and make a detour to Alacahoyuk. 

Alacahoyuk is about 9km outside of the town of Alaca, and about 28km away from Bogazkale. Regular buses connect the cities of Kayseri and Yozgat with Alaca. From Alaca, one can take either a minibus or a taxi to Alacahoyuk. The problem is, as there is only one minibus a day from Alaca to Alacahoyuk, it means that those who are interested in visiting both Hattusa and Alacahoyuk on the same day cannot finish the circuit without opting to take a taxi from Alacahoyuk to Bogazkale. Since Alacahoyuk is just a small village with a handful of houses, there is no taxi stand in town and taxis have to called in from Alaca. Hence it makes sense to arrange for a taxi right from the beginning then and save yourself precious time and energy. For 60TL, a taxi will take you from the town of Alaca to Alacahoyuk, stop at Alacahoyuk for about 2 hours to enable the visitors to visit the site, before going to Bogazkale and drop you off at the hotel of your choice. For 20TL, the taxi driver will drive you from Alaca to Alacahoyuk and back. Taxi trips can be arranged at any of the bus ticket sales counters at Alaca's otogar (bus station); the local ticket sales personnel at the bus station are more than happy to help travellers find a taxi to visit Alacahoyuk. 

Copyrights@2012. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.