Kültepe

Welcome to the Kültepe archaeological site, where memories of the distant past are still alive in the ruins. Kültepe, also known as Kanesh or Nesha, is located in Kayseri Province in Turkey. The nearest modern city is Kayseri, about 20km southwest; here, you can find a tell – the ancient ruins of Kültepe – as well as a lower town. Here, the ancient names of Kültepe can be found in Assyrian and Hittite records, such as Kaneš and Neša. First, let’s explore the tell. This tell was inhabited beginning in the 3rd millennium BC, all the way up to the Early Bronze Age. Kültepe is renowned for being the place where the earliest record of a definitively Indo-European language – Hittite – has been found, dating back to the 20th century BC. During this time, Kültepe was an important Hattian, Hittite, and Hurrian city, containing a large kārum of the Old Assyrian Empire from the 21st to 18th centuries BC. This kārum was the administrative and distribution center for Assyrian colonies in Anatolia during this time. At the lower town, an Assyrian settlement was found. This settlement displays magnificent ruins of an ancient city, providing a glimpse into a bygone era. In 2014, the archaeological site was inscribed in the Tentative list of World Heritage Sites in Turkey, symbolizing its importance. We hope that you bring home many fond memories from the ruins of Kültepe.

Location: Kayseri Province

Location: Melikgazi

Website: kultepe.org.tr

Source: Wikimedia