Yazılıkaya Open-Air Temple

The Yazılıkaya Open-Air Sanctuary is located approximately two kilometers northeast of Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite Empire (modern Boğazkale), nestled among natural rock formations. This open-air sanctuary, built atop natural cliffs, was a significant sacred space used by the Hittites for religious ceremonies. The structure consists of two main sections, Rooms A and B, and reveals three distinct construction phases.

Yazılıkaya Open-Air Sanctuary (Türkiye Culture Portal)

Construction Phases and Architectural Features

In the first construction phase, a enclosing wall was built to separate the sanctuary from the external world. During the second phase, a monumental entrance structure and a building conforming to Hittite temple tradition were added. In the third phase, a more functional transitional area was created at the entrance to Room B on the eastern wing. Small niches carved into the rock at the entrance were used to hold candles employed in religious rituals.

Room A: The Procession of Gods and Goddesses

Room A contains over ninety relief carvings depicting gods, goddesses, animals, and mythical beings from the Hittite pantheon. Gods are arranged on the left wall, while goddesses are depicted on the right wall. The central scene portrays the meeting of Tešup, the Storm God, with Hepat, the Sun Goddess of Arinna, and their son Šarruma. The north wall illustrates the union of these deities. This arrangement follows Hurrian religious ritual traditions but is stylistically shaped according to Hittite artistic conventions. The names of all figures are inscribed above their heads in hieroglyphic script. These scenes are dated to the reign of Hattusili III (c. 1275–1250 BCE).

Yazılıkaya Open-Air Sanctuary (Türkiye Culture Portal)

Room B: The Underworld and the Cult of the Dead

Room B is a narrow and elongated chamber. At its entrance, flanking a stone-ramped passage, are two relief carvings of winged, human-bodied demons with lion heads, positioned facing each other. These beings are believed to be hybrid creatures associated with the underworld. The positioning and stylistic rendering of the reliefs reflect Hurrian-influenced art. The room also features carvings of twelve underworld deities and the god Nergal. This arrangement suggests that the room may have been dedicated to the funerary cult of King Tudhaliya IV.

Yazılıkaya Open-Air Sanctuary (Türkiye Culture Portal)

Tudhaliya IV and the Protective God Šarruma

On the eastern wall of Room B stands a 2.95-meter-tall relief of Tudhaliya IV, depicted with his protective deity Šarruma placing his arm around the king’s shoulder. Beside this relief is a carved sword planted into the ground, with the head of the god Nergal above it. Hittite religious texts support the interpretation that this relief is connected to purification rituals. The view that Room B was constructed as a funerary sanctuary after the death of Tudhaliya IV is reinforced by these elements.

Yazılıkaya Open-Air Sanctuary (Türkiye Culture Portal)

Lion Demons

The two lion demons flanking the entrance are depicted with lion heads, human bodies, and wings. The reliefs are rendered in profile for the heads and legs, with frontal views of the torsos. Detailed craftsmanship is evident in the belts, skirts, wing patterns, and gestures of the figures. These beings are interpreted as guardians associated with the descent of the Sun Goddess into the underworld, overseeing the transition of the souls of the dead into the realm of the dead.

Iconographic and Cultural Context

The iconography of the Yazılıkaya reliefs is dominated by Hurrian influence. Among the deities are figures of Mesopotamian origin, such as the Water God Ea, the Moon God, and the Grain God, while the arrangement of gods and goddesses presents a ritual hierarchy. The lion demons exhibit iconographic similarities to the Mesopotamian “ugallu” figures, embodying a universal symbolism as supernatural entities linked to the underworld and death.