YAZILIKAYA

(Turkish: Inscribed Rock), Hittite monument about a mile northeast of Bogazky; it was the site of the Hittite capital Hattusa in eastern Turkey. Two recesses in the rock, one to the northeast and the other to the east, form natural open-air galleries. In a northeastern recess is carved a long procession of mostly male figures to the west and female to the east, meeting on the far northeastern wall. The east gallery contains a relief of a procession of warriors; on the opposite wall is a large relief showing a king in the embrace of his patron god, with a long dagger thrust into the rock before him. Study has revealed that the sanctuary was completed by King Tudhaliyas IV during the 13th century BC, the last period of the Hittite empire, when Hurrian religious and cultural influence had become predominant. The shrine, therefore, canonized the official Hurrianized cult of the Hittite capital city.