Karatepe Aslantaş National Park and Open Air Museum

The name Karatepe Aslantaş refers to the nearby village of Karatepe which means “Black Hill” while Aslantaş, meaning “Stone Lion” undoubtably refers to the many stone lions, a popular motif in Hittite architecture, that have been found in the area. The park itself is mostly wooded with some trails running throughout. There are some picnic areas with gazebos, benches, and playgrounds near the beaches.

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In the midst of the park are the ruins of the Hittite city of Karatepe. The city was founded by Asatiwatas, a Neo-Hittite king in Adana. While the city was not small and was built with impressive fortifications it didn’t last long. In 720 BC the city was razed by the Assyrians and abandoned.

While interesting objects were found at the site, by far the most important find at Karatepe is the beautifully engraved orthostat stones in the gateways. These depict everyday life, lions, gods, and, most importantly, a bilingual inscription written in Phoenician and Hittite. As Phoenician had already been solved as a language, these inscriptions were the perfect tool for helping crack the still mysterious language of the Hittites.

The inscription, known as the Karatepe Bilingual, mostly consists of the king Asatiwatas boasting of his deeds, with many mentions to the duties he had performed for the various Hittite gods. The inscription ends with a call for the Hittite gods to punish the one that would destroy the city gate.

Today Karatepe consists of two parts: a small museum and the ruins of the Hittite city itself. The museum houses a small collection of goods found in the area. Most of these are Hittite Iron Age goods though there are also finds from Domuztepe where Hellenistic and Roman era goods have been found.

The main reason to visit the museum is to walk along the foundations of the ancient walls as they peek out from between the pine trees and see the remains of the city gates where the intricately carved stones sit in their original arrangement.

Originally an early Iron Age settlement belonging to the Hittites, Domuztepe also shows signs of inhabitation during the Roman era. Very little is left of the site which now is on a small island in the lake.