Boğazkale-Hattusa
Boğazkale is a village in the Central Karadeniz region in Turkey. It lies next to the ruins of the ancient Hittite city of Hattusa (Turkish: Hattuşaş), a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Get in
Bogazkale is off the Ankara - Samsun road from the town of Sungurlu and there are plenty of buses that run on that route. Dolmuses and Buses run between Sungurlu and Bogazkale but the service can be iffy. Taxis are available between Sungurlu and Bogazkale.
Get around
See
- Hattusa, the ruins of a Hittite city dating from about 2000 B.C. to 1000 B.C. At one time it must have been a great and impressive city but today little remains except for the reconstructed foundations. However, the plan of the city is still evident and walking around the ruins makes an interesting and instructive day.
- Bogazkale Museum A few objects from Hattusa (most are in Ankara) and lots of photographs of the excavations.
- Yazilkaya An excavation site containing Hittite buildings. The foundations of large religious buildings from that period are still visible.
Do
Buy
Eat
Drink
Sleep
- Hattusas pension, ☏ +90 364 452 2013. About the only hotel in Bogazkale, the hotel has a few rooms with shared bathroom and a restaurant on the ground floor. Run by Mustafa and Ahmet Baykal, the friendly owners, who are only to happy to chat and give advice. US$7-US$15.
Stay safe
Boğazkale squarely lies within the habitat of the ticks (kene), which are known to be a vector of the serious Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF, Turkish: Kırım Kongo Kanamalı Ateşi or KKKA) in the area. Follow the usual tick prevention strategy of avoiding long grasses and wearing long trouses April through October when the ticks are active; if you nevertheless get bitten by one, seek medical help immediately, as those unfortunate enough to be infected by CCHF have a mortality rate of 10-40% within three days of infection. Experts advice against removing the tick from your body as this may result in its mouth breaking apart — which results in an elevated likelihood for infection and makes it harder for the medical staff to identify the tick.
Go next
- Amasya — inland town on Yeşilırmak River with whitewashed Ottoman architecture and ancient tombs engraved on cliffs overlooking the town.
- Çorum - N 30 km.
- Ordu — on the way to more popular cities and sites of eternally rainy and green Eastern Black Sea.
- Samsun — largest city on the Turkish Black Sea coast with big city attractions: such as opera and museums. Also many sports, including wakeboarding in summer.
- Tokat