Karatepe-Aslantaş National Park, National park in Osmaniye Province, Turkey
Karatepe-Aslantaş National Park stretches across 4,145 hectares between the Taurus Mountains and Çukurova plains, featuring pine forests, rolling hills, and a large reservoir. The landscape blends these natural features with the ruins of an ancient fortified settlement and an outdoor museum displaying carved stone artifacts.
The park was established in 1958 to protect a Neo-Hittite settlement that developed around the 8th century BCE. Assyrian armies destroyed the settlement around 720 BCE, bringing an end to occupation at this location.
The gates of the ancient settlement display inscriptions carved into stone that reveal how multiple peoples communicated in this region. Visitors can see these carvings directly on the stone structures, giving a tangible sense of the site's layered past.
The site is accessible by provincial roads, with separate parking areas for the national park and museum sections. Wear sturdy shoes for walking on uneven ground, and plan time to explore both the natural landscape and archaeological displays.
The park contains Turkey's first open-air museum, where stone statues and reliefs stand at their original archaeological locations rather than in enclosed buildings. This outdoor presentation lets visitors see ancient artworks in the setting where they were originally created and used.
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