Karatepe

Along the Osmaniye road beyond the Toprakkale Pass, a side turning branches off on the left to Karatepe (Black Hill), some 28km/17mi north on the right bank of the Ceyhan Nehri. Excavated from 1949 onwards, the site has been extensively restored.

Karatepe was the walled stronghold of an eighth century Hittite ruler called Azitawadda. The two main gates, on the north and south sides, are flanked by massive sphinxes while reliefs on the sills depict various gods, battle and hunting scenes, a ship with oarsmen, etc. There are two parallel inscriptions, one in Hittite hieroglyphic script, the other in Phoenician; these proved a valuable starting point for deciphering the hieroglyphic script. Little survives of the buildings within the