corum 01 künye 11

Hattusa , the capital of the
Hittites takes place in the
list of World Heritage determined by UNESCO (United
Nations, Educational, Scientific &Cultural Organization).
As of December 2009 the list
contains 890 wealth respectively as 689 cultural,176 natural and 25 mixed.
Turkey is presented in the
list of World Inheritance with
9 wealth as Historical Areas
of Istanbul, Archeological
Istanbul
Area of Troy, Pamukkale - Hierapolis, Xanthos - Letoon,
Safranbolu, National Park of
Göreme and Kapadokya,
Nemrut Mountain, Divri¤i
Grand Mosque & Darüflflifas›
(Hospital) in addition to Hattusa. Hattusa tablets of cuneiform script formed of
30.000 samples found in Istanbul Archeological Museum and Ankara Civilization
of Anatolian Museum was
taken into the list of UNESCO memory of world.
Safranbolu
Truva, Çanakkale
Pamukkale – Hierapolis, Denizli
Xanthos – Letoon,
Antalya – Mu¤la
Hattusa,
Çorum
Divri¤i Ulu Mosque
and Darüflflifas›, Sivas
Kapadokya,
Nevflehir
Nemrut Da¤›,
Ad›yaman
CONTENTS
ÇORUM: THE PLACE WHERE CIVILIZATION
WAS BORN
HISTORY - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -12
THE ORIGIN OF THE NAME, ÇORUM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -14
HITTITE PERIOD - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -17
POLITICAL HISTORY OF THE REGION - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -17
HITTITE LANGUAGE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -25
HITTITE RELIGION - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -26
STATE ADMINISTRATION - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -27
THE BATTLE OF KADESH AND THE PEACE TREATY - - - - - - - -27
THE TEXT OF KADESH PACT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -28
THE POST-HITTITE PERIOD - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -32
GEOGRAPHICAL CHARACTERISTICS - - - -36
ÇORUM STEP BY STEP - - - - - - - - - - - - -42
BÜYÜK GÜLLÜCEK HÖYÜ⁄Ü (MOUND) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -44
KUfiSARAY HÖYÜ⁄Ü (MOUND) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -44
HACIMUSA HÖYÜ⁄Ü (MOUND) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -44
ÇORUM KALES‹ (CASTLE) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -45
KALE CAM‹‹ (MOSQUE) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -45
ÇORUM MUSEUM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -46
ÇORUM ULU CAM‹‹ (THE GREAT MOSQUE) - - - - - - - - - - - - -48
HIDIRLIK CAM‹‹ (MOSQUE) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -49
VEL‹ PAfiA / ABDÜLBAK‹ PAfiA CAM‹‹ (MOSQUE) - - - - - - - -50
KULAKSIZ CAM‹‹ (MOSQUE) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -51
‹NAYETULLAH CAM‹‹ (MOSQUE) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -51
PAfiA HAMAMI (HAMMAM) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -52
AL‹ PAfiA HAMAMI / YEN‹ HAMAM (HAMMAM) - - - - - - - - - -52
VEL‹ PAfiA HANI (INN) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -52
PAfiA ÇEfiMES‹ (FOUNTAIN) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -53
contents
ABAZA ÇEfiMES‹ (FOUNTAIN) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -53
‹ST‹KLAL ‹LKOKULU (PRIMARY SCHOOL) - - - - - - - - - - - - - -54
ÇORUM MUNICIPALITY BUILDING - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -54
TRADITIONAL DOMICIL ARCHITECTURE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -54
KÂT‹PLER KONA⁄I (MANSION) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -55
VEL‹ PAfiA KONA⁄I (MANSION) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -56
ALAYBEY SOKAK (STREET) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -57
ESK‹C‹LER / D‹K‹C‹LER ÇARfiISI (BAZAAR) - - - - - - - - - - - - - -57
ÇORUM CLOCK TOWER - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -57
PROMENADES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -58
HAMAMLIÇAY VILLAGE THERMAL SPRING - - - - - - - - - - - - -58
BOYALI HÖYÜK (MOUND) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -60
ULU CAM‹‹ (THE GREAT MOSQUE) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -61
KAVfiUT KÖYÜ CAM‹‹ (MOSQUE) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -61
SUNGURO⁄LU HAMAMI (HAMMAM) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -61
DEM‹RfiEYH KÖYÜ TÜRBES‹ (TOMB) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -61
CLOCK TOWER - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -61
BO⁄AZKALE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -63
BO⁄AZKALE TOUR PLAN - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -64
BO⁄AZKÖY / HATTUSA ANCIENT CITY - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -65
HATTUSA – THE LOWER CITY - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -69
GREAT TEMPLE (TEMPLE NUMBER 1) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -69
RESIDENTIAL HOUSES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -70
THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE HITTITE CITY WALLS - - - - - -71
HATTUSA – THE UPPER CITY - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -71
THE LION GATE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -71
YERKAPI (GATE) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -73
THE SPHINX GATE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -73
THE TEMPLE QUARTER - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -74
contents
CONTENTS
SUNGURLU - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -59
CONTENTS
KING’S GATE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -74
CHAMBER 1 & CHAMBER 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -75
GÜNEYKALE (SOUTHERN CITADEL) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -76
N‹fiANTAfi - N‹fiANTEPE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -77
BÜYÜKKALE (ROYAL CITADEL) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -77
BÜYÜKKAYA (BIG ROCK) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -78
YAZILIKAYA ROCK TEMPLE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -79
CHAMBER A - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -80
CHAMBER B - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -83
BO⁄AZKÖY MUSEUM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -84
ALACA - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -85
ALACAHÖYÜK - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -86
THE ALACAHÖYÜK MUSEUM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -90
ESK‹YAPAR - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -90
PAZARLI HISTORICAL SITE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -90
ESK‹ CAM‹‹ / ÇARfiI CAM‹‹ (MOSQUE) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -91
YEN‹ CAM‹‹ (MOSQUE) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -91
ALTINTAfi KÖYÜ CAM‹‹ (MOSQUE) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -91
MAHMUD‹YE (KALEH‹SAR) KÖYÜ BUILDING COMPLEX - - - - -91
HÜSEY‹N GAZ‹ KÜLL‹YES‹ (BUILDING COMPLEX) - - - - - - - - -92
ORTAKÖY - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -93
ORTAKÖY - SAPINUVA ANCIENT CITY - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -94
‹NCESU CANYON - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -97
ROCK RELIEF OF GODDESS KYBELE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -97
MEC‹TÖZÜ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -99
ELVAN ÇELEB‹ MOSQUE, DERVISH K-LODGE AND TOMB -100
BEKE / F‹GAN‹ THERMAL SPRING - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -100
contents
U⁄URLUDA⁄ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -101
RESULO⁄LU EARLY BRONZE AGE SETTLEMENT AND
GRAVEYARD - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -102
‹SK‹L‹P - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -103
BAYAT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -109
EM‹RBEY CAM‹‹ (MOSQUE) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -110
KUNDUZLU AND KUfiCAÇ‹MEN‹ PLATEAUS - - - - - - - - - - - - -110
O⁄UZLAR - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -111
LAÇ‹N - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -113
LAÇ‹N KAPILIKAYA MONUMENTAL ROCK TOMB - - - - - - - - -114
DODURGA - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -115
OSMANCIK - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -117
OSMANCIK / KAND‹BER KALES‹ (CASTLE) - - - - - - - - - - - - -119
KOYUNBABA TÜRBES‹ (TOMB) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -119
contents
CONTENTS
‹SK‹L‹P KALES‹ (CASTLE) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -104
‹SK‹L‹P ROCK TOMBS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -105
fiEYH MUH‹DD‹N-‹ YAVS‹ CAM‹‹ (MOSQUE) - - - - - - - - - - - -105
EVL‹K KÖYÜ CAM‹‹ & TÜRBES‹ (MOSQUE & TOMB) - - - - - -105
BÜYÜK / ULU CAM‹‹ (THE GREAT MOSQUE) - - - - - - - - - - - -106
HACI AL‹ ÇEfiMES‹ I (FOUNTAIN) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -106
HACI AL‹ ÇEfiMES‹ II (FOUNTAIN) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -106
TRADITIONAL DOMICIL ARCHITECTURE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -107
PLATEAUS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -107
ELMABEL‹ PROMENADE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -107
CONTENTS
KOCA MEHMET PAfiA / ‹MARET CAM‹‹ (MOSQUE) - - - - - - -120
AKfiEMSEDD‹N MOSQUE & MADRASAH - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -120
KOCA MEHMET PAfiA HAMAMI (HAMMAM) - - - - - - - - - - - -120
BALTACI MEHMET PAfiA ÇEfiMES‹ (FOUNTAIN) - - - - - - - - - -121
KOYUNBABA KÖPRÜSÜ (BRIDGE) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -121
BAfiPINAR KARACA PLATEAU - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -121
KARGI
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -123
M‹HR‹ HATUN CAM‹‹ (MOSQUE) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -124
M‹HR‹ HATUN HAMAMI (HAMMAM) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -124
O⁄UZ CAM‹‹ (MOSQUE) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -124
S‹NAN PAfiA KÜLL‹YES‹ (BUILDING COMPLEX) - - - - - - - - -124
HACIHAMZA KALES‹ (CASTLE) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -125
KARGI PLATEAU - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -125
ABDULLAH PLATEAU - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -126
TRADITIONAL DOMICIL ARCHITECTURE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -126
TRADITIONAL CULTURE - - - - - - - - - - - -128
HANDICRAFTS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -131
TRADITIONAL ATTIRE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -133
TRADITIONAL FOLK DANCES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -137
TRADITIONAL CUISINE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -138
LEBLEB‹ (ROASTED CHICKPEAS) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -142
VERBAL CULTURE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -143
CHRONOLOGY - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -153
BIBLIOGRAPHY - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -154
USEFUL INFORMATION - - - - - - - - - - - -155
MAPS
contents
Çorum Clock Tower
King Tudhaliya IV
ÇORUM: THE PLACE WHERE
CIVILIZATION WAS BORN
Çorum is in an important crossing
point between Capital Ankara, the
biggest city of Anatolia and Samsun the harbor city consequently
in Black Sea region. Since prehistoric ages, this geographical position has made Çorum highly important, and provided development in Çorum’s cultural and economic fields.
Our town is also located as a bridge from past to future with five
thousand years history as well as
being a geographical bridge. Çorum has never lost its importance
in the continuing historical period
since Bronze Age (3000-2000 BC).
Our town being under the sovereignty of Hittite, Pgrygia, Hellenistic, Rome, Byzantine, Seljuk and
Ottoman is positioned as an open
air museum. Hattusa capital of
Hittites listed in the Worlds Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, deserves
the title of Open Air Museum with
Yaz›l›kaya Open Air Temple,
Sphinx Gate, Relief of Double
Headed Eagle, Potern Gate, Hittite
Dam in Alacahöyük, mosques,
mansions, bridges and clock towers. The museums of Çorum are
spectacular places to visit and
see. New Çorum Museum, being
in a historical building is amongst
the important museums in the re-
gion and in all over the country
with historical works exhibited in
a contemporary view in 10.000 m2
closed and open fields.
Our town spotlights with scenic
beauties as well as historical wealth and beauties. There are several plateaus in Karg›, Osmanc›k,
Boyat and ‹skilip districts, which
are suitable for camping and performing many activities with its
untouched nature, plenty of water
sources and high potential profile
in terms of tourism, and in addition to this, apart from nature wonders in Ortaköy district, the ‹ncesu
Canyon, with its length of 12 km,
is hosting a historical beauty named Kybele Relief belonging to
Hellenistic period. You may feast
yourself with traditional Çorum
dishes in Historical mansions during your visit and experiencing
these scenic and historical beauties; you may as well take Çorum
Leblebisi (Roasted Chickpeas)
with you as gift when leaving.
To get more satisfaction with your
trip and taste the flavour, surely
you’ll be glad if you give a short
break while crossing the bridge
between Black Sea and Central
Anatolia.
MustafaTOPRAK
Governor of Çorum
HISTORY
THE ORIGIN OF THE NAME,
ÇORUM
14
Çorum, for which the date of
establishment is unknown
was called Niconion (Yankonia) is Late Antiquity. No conclusion has been determined
over the researches on the source of town. It is unknown
that the Trokmu branch of Galats coming from Anatolia set
up in here and gave the name
“Trokmoi”. It is set forth that
the name “Trokmu” first turned out to be “Trokmu” then
to be “Çorum”. The name Çorum was grounded on Gordios
the Cappadocia Governor bounded to Mithridates Kingdom
between 90 - 80 BC. The region was initially called Gordiana and the name became Çorum in time.
It appears that the origin of
the name “Çorum” is explained differently in various sources. Most of the information
is not scientific but it is formed
of views utilizing from various
sound resemblances to Çorum.
The word “Çor”, which forms
history
the stem for “Çorum” or “Çorumlu”, means “plant” in the
Oghuz Language, and “the
highest government official after the Khan” in the GokturkUyghur Language and “Çor” is
a Turkish word. The obelisk
belonging to the Turkish Bey
“Köl ‹ç Çör”, erected between
the years 720-725 during 2nd
Göktürk Khaganate in Middle
Mongolia is one of the examples containing the world
“Çor”.
Çor, which is one of the clans
of Göktürk Khaganate, is mentioned as being a big community and tribes belonging to
them gave the name “Çor”,
where they are located. This
information is supported with
examples like “Çoruh River”
“Çor Brook”, “Çor’a Ked”,
“Çor Gate” or “Passage” or
“Çor Country”. It is known that
when the Turks migrated from
their motherland into Anatolia
it was a custom of theirs to
call settlements under their
management by the names of
their own clans, tribes, and
administrators. Certain place
Çorum Genel Görünüm
names in Turkey hold witness
to this fact.
Daniflmend Sultanate I having
congested Çorum known as
“Nikonia ”, “Yankiona” in
1075 in spring, assigned scoutmaster Melih Ahmet Gazi as
governor from the “Çorumlu”
tribe of the “Çavuldur” or
“Alayundlu” clan of the
“Üçok” branch of the Oghuz.
Melih Ahmet Gazi has been
the first to be Turkish and
Muslim governor of Çorum.
The tribe is famous with being
supplied governors by rules of
Sultanates, the name “Çorumlu” of the community becoming famous was given to the
town and the castle of the name “Alayundlu” that they belonged to, was given to two
areas in the region.
It is perceived that patients
were healed in village clinic
since tradition of village clinics have been commonly carried out in the region as public
medicine and of the disease
“Çor” had s specific treatment
place and village clinics such
like in other diseases.
In addition, it is highly likely
that the “Çorumlu” tribe that
entered the region before Çorum was conquered and earned a well-deserved name
among the Byzantine also
treated the “çor” disease by
means of such public clinics.
The town had been called Çorumlu for a long time during
Ottoman Empire , later on the
proposition “lu” was dropped
from it to remain “Çorum ” till
than. As the information above indicates, the origin of the
name “Çorum” stems from a
Çorumlu clan of the Alayundlu
tribe of the Üçok branch of the
Oghuz. “Çorum” is a Turkish
name given by Turks. Such old
names as “Niconia”, “Yankoniye”, “Trokmu”, “Gordiana”,
“Rum”, and “Dzorum” that
certain authors mention might
have been names used prior of
the arrival of Turks.
The first residences in and
around Çorum takes place since Chalcolitic Age (6000-3000
BC). Some dishes and materials made of copper belonging
to the Chalcolitic Age have
history
15
Resulo¤lu Excavation Finds
16
been found in excavations carried out almost in all centers
of the region. Moreover the
existence of rich mine deposits in the region speeded up
the technological evolution
and played big role in the discovery of rich Kingdoms in the
region. These works of the period have also been found in
Alacahöyük, Büyük Güllücek,
Bo¤azköy, Kuflsaray settlements kept going on from that
time on. The most important
Chalcolitic settlement was found in the excavations carried
out in Büyük Güllücek bound
to Çorum Center.
In architecture of the time,
typical Anatolian houses with
2, 3 or 4 rooms, as well as
hand-made black, grey,
and red ceramic tiles are
characteristic features. In the sa-
Bull Statuette, Early
Bronze Age
history
me period, the use of seals became widespread and the
number of idols increased.
Archaeological excavations
have revealed that, in and around Çorum, there existence of
many city-states surrounded
by city walls in 3000.
Alacahöyük is a centre
that bears witness to the high
level of civilization Anatolian
people reached in the Early
Bronze Age. Toward the end of
the Bronze Age, Anatolia consisted of various multicultural
tribes that lived in many citystates. One such tribe is the
Hattians, who set up rich citystates during this period. The
Hattians (2500-2000/1700
BC) appear as the oldest
native tribe known. In the 19th
and 18th centuries BC,
Anatolia experienced the
emergence of Assyrian Trade
Colonies.
In the early second millennium BC, Anatolia was a wealthy
and developed site. Peoples
of the Mesopotamia, aware of
this, improved their trade with
Anatolia by means of the
Assyrian State. The Assyrians
set up nine Anatolian cities as
well as “Karum”, the city of
Bull Statuette, Early Bronze Age
markets. A similar city built in
Bo¤azköy (Bo¤azkale) with
the name “Hattufl-Karum” was
one of many trade centres. Essentially governed by the Assyrian State, these Karums paid a certain amount of tax to
local administrators for trace
and transportation security.
These trade links left deep traces on cultural, financial and
political life in Anatolia. It was
in this period that writing was
introduced to Anatolia. Important items from this period are
cylindrical and round seals,
cuneiform terracota tablets,
human and animal figurines
and animal-shaped drinking
cups (rythons). When artisans
started using the potter’s
wheel, production of cups and
pots achieved great development. The already existing art,
local habits and traditions in
Anatolia improved with influences from the Mesopotamia
to attain a novel aspect and
lay the foundation for the Hittite art to follow.
HITTITE PERIOD
The period of Assyrian Trade
Colonies enabled the emergence of new social and politi-
cal views. In Anatolia, which
was previously governed by
local princes, the concept of a
central government as in the
Mesopotamia improved and
this led to inner struggles. An
Indo-European tribe, the Hittites entered Anatolia in small
groups toward the beginning
of the second millennium BC
and merged with the local Hatti people.
POLITICAL HISTORY OF THE
REGION
First information about the local Anatolian Hatti people and
the Hittites of the Indo-European descent dates back to
1800 BC. It was from this period that the Hittite culture
The most important period
in the history of Çorum is the
Bronze Age. Bronze, the
alloy formed by mixing copper with zinc, gives its name
to this period. The Bronze
Age lasted from 3000 BC to
1200 BC and is separated
into three sub-periods: the
Early Bronze Age (30002000 BC), the Middle Bronze
Age (2000-1500 BC), and the
Late Bronze Age (1500-1200
BC).
history
17
Bo¤azkale, Great Temple
18
stemmed and developed.
Between 2500 and 2000 BC,
the Hatti people were the representatives of a developed
culture in the northern Cappadocia and the Central Black
Sea. Fortified cities, king
tombs, treasures of the region, governed by city states,
are symbols of the Hatti culture. Towards the end of the second millennium BC, great
Hittites merged with local peoples in Anatolia to form the
Hittite State. The founder of
this state was Labarna; Bo¤azkale-Hattusa was the capital city. The Central Hittite
State history is divided into
three stages: the Ancient
Kingdom between 1650-1535
BC, Middle Kingdom between
1535 – 1460 BC and the Hittite
Kingdom between 1460-1200
BC. After they had fortified
their dominance in Anatolia,
the Hittites started organizing military campaigns into
Syria. Following the Battle of
Kadesh with Egypt, the Treaty
of Kadesh, the first written
agreement in history, was
signed in 1269 BC. After the
Hittite State was founded, the
Mesopotamian traces in arts
disappeared and melted inside the native Anatolian art.
Monumental buildings of larger sizes appeared. The indigent Anatolian art is distinct
from the previous art form
with its temples, palaces, social buildings, rock reliefs,
and orthostats – stones with
reliefs, on the lowermost line
of front façades in buildings.
There are several reasons for
the Hittites to fall down just
before 1200 BC. There has been unrest amongst the public
and disagreement in Hittite
aristocracy during the period
of Great King. The written sources show that the state in
its late periods was in misery
and high amount of cereals
were delivered to Anatolia,
Syria and Egypt. Unrest in
Anatolia and diminishing influence of Hittites on Syria
caused empire to collapse.
history
Figurine, Assyrian Trading Colonys Period
wars and the resultant fires
brought an end to this era,
which was followed by that of
the Assyrian Trade Colonies.
Written sources indicate that
the Hittites may have kept entering Anatolia in small groups
toward the end of the third
millennium until the early second millennium BC. It is
widely believed that the Hittites entered Anatolia via the
northern Black Sea or the
northeast and that they settled within the northern section of the arch that the K›z›l›rmak – Halys – River forms. By
means of subsequent raids,
the Hittites spread into Anatolia and in time, by strengthening their power, dominated
lands of the Hatti princes.
In the 1700s BC, Anitta the
king of Kussara told how he
defeated Piyusti the Hattusa
king and burned his city down:
“I conquered the city after a
night raid. I planted weeds in
its place. May whoever follows me as the king and
rebuilds Hattusa be damned
by the Storm God of the ski-
es.” In 1650 BC, Hattusili I, the
Hittite king, made Hattusa the
capital city. Also known as the
founder of the Old Hittite, Hattusili I maintained peace within the core land within the K›z›l›rmak arch; then, he organized raids against the Hurrians
in the Northern Syria and the
Upper Euphrates and opened
the path for the future kings
into the target of becoming a
world nation. Mursili pursued
his aims by capturing lands in
the south as well, thereby eliminating Syrian city states
and taking the Mesopotamia
trade route under his control.
He conquered Aleppo and his
army went further into Babel
to put an end to the Hammurabi dynasty. Yet, a period of turmoil followed when Mursili
was murdered by Hantili.
Although Hantili came to power, he too was murdered. During this period, the Hittite
state lost lands to the south of
the Taurus Mountains, as well
as other regions in the South
and Southeast Anatolia to the
Mitanni kingdom.
history
19
Group of Statuettes
20
When Telepinu rose to the
throne, he succeeded in
giving an end to bloodshed in the court. First, he
gave up the exercise of the
Hittite kings’ organizing military campaigns to far away
places and tried to keep
Anatolia under the rule of a
self-sufficient, coherent governing structure. To this
end, he set up the system of
states. Issuing what is known
as the Telepinu Proclamation,
he secured the means of succession in the Hittite realm.
According to the traditional
historical division of the Hittite state, the era of Telepinu is
followed by what is known
as the “Middle Kingdom”.
Although Tudhaliya I and Arnuvanda I of this period irregularly attempted to extend
the Hittite domination into the
Western Anatolia, after miliSword, Hittite Period
history
tary successes of Hattusili
I and Mursili, the Hittites
never gave up their hope to
become influential in the
Northern Syria. Inscription
on a bronze sword, captured
as a war token and today at
display in the Museum of Çorum, tells about a military action organized by Tudhaliya
and covered lands as far as
Assuva on the Aegean shore.
In the meantime, Tudhaliya I
had to cope with the Kaskians, the ruthless enemy of
the Hittites. It is stated in
written documents that during the reign of Tudhaliya,
there were military campaigns against the Hurrians in
the upper regions of the
Euphrates and the Upper
Mesopotamia. It is also understood that these military achievements enabled
Tudhaliya I to re-establish
his former power.
Yet, his power was mainly
21
Amulet, Hittite Period
confined with Anatolia.
When Suppiluliuma I came to
power, he initially strengthened his domination in Anatolia. Then he annexed some regions of Syria and the Northern Mesopotamia. He fought
against the Kaskians and signed an agreement with Niqmaddu II of the Ugarit Empire.
Suppiluliuma took advantage
of the era of disorder in Egypt
that followed Tutankhamon’s
death; he conquered Kargamish and thus ended the Mitanni Kingdom.
Mursili II organized military
campaigns in the north and
west of Anatolia at a time
when plague rummaged the
core land of the Hittites and,
as a result of ever-increasing
influence of the Assyrians, a
general feeling unrest spread
all over Syria. In the meantime, the Assyrians had extended their territories to border
the Upper Belih Region to the
west of the Upper Mesopotamia and the adjacent Kargamish. When the Great King
was enjoying his ninth year in
the throne, Piyashshili, the ruler of the Kargamish, died at a
cult ceremony. Unrest prevailed Syria once again; the King
entered Kargamish with his
army and declared Piyashshili’s son the new king; this way,
both the King brought order
history
22
Relief Vase, Hittite Period
into the Kargamish State and
the Northern Syria entered under the strict rule of the Great
Hittite King. Muvattalli I, having ascended to the throne
without much difficulty after
Mursili, his father, ruled as the
“Great King” for more that
twenty years. His younger
brother, Hattusili, served him
in many fields as the head of
the military, a courtesan, and
a governor in constantly restless regions of the empire and
in Hattusa. In this period, Muvattalli moved his court, together with statues of gods and
forefathers, from Hattusa to
Tarhuntassa. During his reign,
the Hittites fell into conflict
with Egypt over the Amurru rehistory
gion in the Central Syria. This
dispute resulted in the Battle
of Kadesh (1274 BC).
The depictions of Kadesh War
one of the most famous ones
in history can be witnessed at
present on the walls of Abydos, Luxor, Abu Simbel in
Egypt and on the reliefs of the
entrance of Ramsessium. Reliefs are followed by hieroglyph
texts about the celebration of
the victory of Ramses II who
gained it defeating the Muvattalli II. Despite Pharaoh prepared pretty well and was personally present in the war area,
the essential triumphant was
Hittites. The Amurru region
was again under the rule of
Hittites’ sovereignty, separa-
23
Spouted Pitcher, Hittite Period
tist local King Benteshina was
exiled to Anatolia, Kadesh Citadel was under the law of Hittite.
When the Great King Muvattalli II passed away and old rule was followed and his son
Mursilli / Urhi-Teshub took
the throne instead of brother
Hattusili the most powerful
man of the Empire. Murshilli
III moved the capital again
from Trahuntassa to Hattusa.
The period of mutual agreement between the Grand King
and the second powerful man
in the Empire finally broke and
the Grand King was dismissed
by his uncle Hattusili.
Hattusili II I depicted this incident as a “Matter of Rights”
that gods devised. Aware that
he had come to power through
illegal means, Hattusili III was
strongly devoted to his religious and diplomatic tasks. Puduhepa the Grand Queen accompanied him in cult ceremonies.
Ever since the reign of Muvatali II and the Battle of Kadesh, Ramesses II had been
reigning in the region. Hattusili maintained regular relations
both with the Assyrian and
Babylon kings, and with Ramesses II. He ended the state
of war that had been going on
since the reign of Suppiluliuma I and signed a peace treaty
with Egypt. This treaty, written
on a clay tablet, was discovered in Hattusa and is today on
display in the Archaeological
history
Flask, Hittite Period
24
Museum of Istanbul. Originally written in the Akkadian
language, the document had
copies in the hieroglyph writing of Egypt, present at the
Ramesseum in Egypy. The
peace treaty with Ramesses II
marked the peak of the reign
of Hattusili. This victory
strengthened his position in
the presence of his rivals in
the Assyrian and Babylon states, and the Achaeans in the
Aegean Region. Despite the
fact that he had attained power through illegal means,
Hattusili III made great political achievements and was internationally recognized; yet,
it was vitally important for him
to make arrangements to determine his successor. Renouncing a previously elected
successor, he chose Prince
Tudhaliya IV. When he came
history
to power, Tudhaliya made an
agreement with Kurunta, the
king of the Tarhuntassa to
redraw the borders of the Tarhuntassa state. The King, a
member of the dynasty as the
son of Muvatalli II, attained a
position that was hierarchically equal to that of the Karkamish king.
Suppiluliuma II son of Tudhaliya IV known to be the last
emperor of Hittite Empire had
to cope with the difficulty in
scarcity of food and in spite of
this he gained some military
success. Today a tablet in the
Güneykale region in Hattusa
says Suppiluliuma’s troops
successfully fought in Central
and Southwest Anatolia and
that, in the Tarhuntassa, the
emperor re-established his
power. From cuneiform tablets, we learn that treaties we-
Land Donation Certificate, Hittite Period
25
re made with the King of the
Kargamish and the land of
Alashiya (Cyprus) governed
directly by the Grand King.
There are several reasons for
the Hittites to fall down just
before 1200 BC. There has
been unrest amongst the public and disagreement in Hittite
aristocracy during the period
of Great King. The written
sources show that the state in
its late periods was in misery
and high amount of cereals
were delivered to Anatolia,
Syria and Egypt. Unrest in
Anatolia and diminishing influence of Hittites on Syria caused empire to collapse.
HITTITE LANGUAGE
Written documents discovered at Hittite settlements reveal that at a time (2000 BC)
when the Hittite language,
one of the oldest of the IndoEuropean Languages, was
used in Anatolia, there were
also such other languages as
the Luwian and Pala of the same language family, as well as
the Hurrian, the Hattian, and
the Akkadian Languages used
as the language of writing. In
all these languages, written in
the cuneiform, each sign
stands for one syllable. Another writing form that the Hittites used was the Luwian language, also known as the hieroglyphs. This form of writing
that the Hittites used differs
completely from the Egyptian
hieroglyphs; here, it was possible symbolize syllables and
even letters through independent signs. The hieroglyphs
were preferred mainly for writing on seals, and on large monuments like rock tombs.
history
26
Guardian God of Fields, Hittite Period
Literacy was considered as a
talent of little groups in Hittites. It was perceived that cuneiform writing could not even
be read by kings depending
on the note underneath as
‘’read aloud’’. There are almanacs, ceremonial texts, historical documents, pacts, documents for charities and letters
written in cuneiform. This writing was written on wet clay
tablets with a stylus. Some of
these tablets, especially those
that survived a fire and became harder to crumble, have
survived. Texts also indicate
that wooden and metal tablets
existed as well. The copy of
history
the Treaty of Kadesh that was
sent to Ramesses II is known
to have been written on a silver tablet; however, this has
not been discovered yet. The
first metal tablet in Hattusa
was discovered in 1986. The
text on this tablet is a treaty
between the Hittite king and
the Tarhuntassa king.
HITTITE RELIGION
Hittite religion is polytheistic
and the pantheon includes
plenty of Gods and Goddess
and these were adopted from
other communities. The Gods
of Hittites are like human
beings. Apart from being the
Rython, Hittite Period
same as physically they are
also the same as spiritually,
they eat and drink like
humans, act people well when
they are taken after well, and
are ready to try to get revenge
and punish people cruelly
when neglected. A Hittite text
compares humans with their
Gods and considers the relation between them as ‘’master-servant’’. The pantheon of
Hittite’s was formed by gathering the local pantheons of
Anatolian and Syrian cities
together. The main god of the
Hittites was Teshub, the god
of storm. He is who keeps the
cosmic rules, kingdom and
country in order. King rules
the country for the name of its
matter.
King when there was a problem.
The Hittite royal family was
not isolated from the outside
world. Succession to the throne was hereditary; however,
in cases when a crown prince
did not exist, it was possible
for a princess’ husband to become the king. It was essential for the crown prince that the
king elected to give an oath of
loyalty before the Panku. In
addition to the king, the site of
the queen was established as
well. Practices by Puduhepa,
the queen of Hattusili III, indicates that the queen undertook essential tasks in political
life. Yet, in the Hittite state
structure, the king was the absolute power.
STATE ADMINISTRATION
THE BATTLE OF KADESH
AND THE PEACE TREATY
The Hittite State was a political organization as a structure
which was formed of kings
and members from the Kingdom.The political organ of the
management is Panku – the
Council of the Empire. Panku
was called to the meetings by
In 1274 BC, the Battle of
Kadesh between Ramesses II
and Muvatalli at Kadesh
resulted in a peace treaty. Loyal to the treaty, Ramesses II
withdrew its forces from lands
he had occupied before the
history
27
28
Tablet, Hittite Period
battle and left the city of Kadesh to the Hittites. During a
riot that broke out within the
army right before the Treaty of
Kadesh, Muvatalli was killed;
his successor, Hattusili II, signed the Treaty (1269 BC). This
treaty is the oldest treaty in
the world that rests on the
principle of equality. The original copies of the Treaty, written on silver tablets, are lost.
In addition to a copy of the
Treaty carved on the walls of
temples in Egypt, another
copy was discovered in excavations in Bo¤azköy (Bo¤azkale); this copy, on a clay tablet, is on display at the Archistory
haeological Museum of Istanbul. An enlarged replica of the
Treaty of Kadesh hangs on a
wall at the headquarters of
the United Nations, as the earliest international peace treaty known to historians.
THE TEXT OF KADESH PACT
This is a treaty Ra-mase-sa
mai Amana, King of the Eyptian State, the Grand King, signed with the Hattusili, the
grand king of the Hatti states,
so that their good friendship,
brotherhood, and great kingdoms can be long-lasting.
These are words of Rea-Masesta-Mai Amana, the hero of
Bulla, Hittite Period
all countries, the Grand King
of the Egyptian State, the
grandson of Min-pahirita the
hero, the Grand King, the king
of the Egyptian State, the son
of Minmua-rea the hero, the
Grand King, the king of the
Egyptian State to Hattusili the
hero, the Grand King, the king
of the Hatti State.
I established good brotherhood and good peace to last between us. This I tell so that good brotherhood and good peace can be established in relations between the Egyptian State and the Hatti Country: here,
as far as the relation between
the Egyptian state and Hatti
country are concerned, as
gods do not permit enmity to
last between them, this treaty
is eternal. Rea-Masesa Mai Amana, the Grand King, the
King of the Egyptian State, has
established such an eternal
relation as that between the
sun and storm gods, that these gods prevent eternal enmity existing between them.
Rea-Masesa Mai Amana the
Grand King, the King of the
Egyptian State, made a treaty
on a silver plate so that, from
now on, there can prevail
good peace and good friendship between us and Hattusili
the Grand King, the King of the
Hatti State. He is my brother
and I am his brother and we
are eternally in peace. As for
us: our friendship and peace
will be better than precious
peace and brotherhood between the Hatti and Egyptian
states. Hark; Rea-Masesa Mai
Amana the Grand King, the
King of the Egyptian State,
and Hattusili the Grand King,
the King of the Hatti State, are
in peace and a state of brotherhood. Hark; peace and
brotherhood between sons of
Rea-Mesesa Mai Amana, the
King of the Egyptian State,
and the sons and brothers of
Hattusili, the Grand King, the
King of the Hatti State, is eternal. They are in a state of peace and brotherhood like us.
As for the relation between
the Egyptian State and the
Hatti State: they are in a state
of peace and brotherhood like
history
29
Religious Pot, Hittite Period
30
us. In future, Rea-Masesa Mai
Amana the Grand King, the
King of the Egyptian State will
not enter the Hatti state to obtain anything. Hattusili the
Grand King, the King of the
Hatti State will not in future
enter the Egyptian State to obtain anything. Hark; the divine
order that Sun and Storm
Gods bring for the Egyptian
State and the Hatti State is
that of peace and brotherhood, not one of enmity. Hark;
Rea-Masesa Mai Amana the
Grand King, the King of the
Egyptian State will, from now
on, struggle to protect the current state of peace. Thus, the
Egyptian State is in eternal
peace with the Hatti State.
If an enemy from a foreign state enter the Hatti state and
Hattusili the Grand King, the
King of the Hatti State, sends
for me and says, “Come to my
help to stand against this,”
Rea-Masesa Mai Amana the
Grand King, the King of the
Egyptian State will send his infantry and mounted troops
and kill the enemy, take rehistory
venge in the name of the Hatti
state.
If Hattusili the Grand King, the
King of the Hatti State, is infuriated by his subjects, his governors, if they make a fault
against him, and if he sends
for Rea-Masesa Mai Amana
the Grand King, the King of the
Egyptian State, the King of the
Egyptian State will send his infantry and mounted troops for
him. He destroys those that
infuriated him.
If a foreign enemy from foreign countries attacks your
brother Rea-Maflefla Mai Amana, the King of Egypt, and the
Egyptian State, and calls for
his brother Hattusili the King
of the Hatti State, saying
“Come to my aid to stand against this,” the Hattusili the
King of the Hatti State will
send his infantry and mounted
troops and kill my enemies.
If Rea-Masesa Mai Amana the
Grand King, the King of the
Egyptian State is infuriated by
one of his governors, if they
unite against him and I call for
my brother Hattusili the Hatti
Rython, Phrygian Period
King, saying, “Come,” Hattusili the Grand King of the Hatti
State will send his infantry
and chariots and destroy all
those that infuriated him.
Hark; the son of Hattusili the
King of the Hatti State will
succeed Hattusili as the King
of the Hatti State many years
after Hattusili has served. If
the noblemen of the Hatti State unite against him, Rea-Masesa Mai Amana the Grand
King, the King of the Egyptian
State, will send his infantry
and chariots for the benefit of
the Hatti State so that revenge
can be taken. Once order has
been established in the Hatti
State, they will return to their
country, the Egyptian State. If
a nobleman escapes from the
Hatti State and such a man
seeks asylum from Rea-Masesa Mai Amana the Grand King,
the King of the Egyptian State,
he will, in order to fulfil his
duty, catch him no matter
whether he belongs to Hattusili the Great King, the King of
the Hatti State, or a separate
city, and return him to Hattusili the Grand King, the King of
the Hatti State. If a nobleman
escapes to from Rea-Masesa
Mai Amana the Grand King,
the King of the Egyptian State,
and if such a man comes to the
Hatti State, to Hattusili the
Grand King of the Hatti State,
then he will catch him and return him to his brother ReaMasesa Mai Amana the Grand
King, the King of the Egyptian
State. If one man or two or
three men escape from the
Hatti State and go to Rea-Masesa Mai Amana the Grand
King, the King of the Egyptian
State, the Grand King of the
Egyptian State will catch them
and return to his brother
Hattusili. The King of Egypt
and the King of the Hatti are
brothers; therefore, may they
not punish them violently for
history
31
Horse Head, Hellenistic Period
32
this mistake of theirs, may
they not shed tears, may their
wives and children not be punished for revenge.
THE POST-HITTITE PERIOD
After the collapse of Hittite
Empire, a dark age had been
lived in Anatolia for 300 years.
During 800 BC, Phrygians
known as “Mushki” in Assyrian sources, by establishing a
nation in a region at K›z›l›rmak
arc centered in Gordion, got
Mask, Roman Period
history
on the stage of history. The
settlement centers of Phrygians in Çorum were Pazarl›,
Bo¤azkale, Alacahöyük and
Eskiyapar. Another important
thing of this age is the entrance of iron into civilization and
to start the “Iron Age” with the
Phrygians. In the first half
of the 7th century BC,
the Phrygian State collapsed
as a result of attacks by the
Cimmerians; yet, their influence in terms of culture and art
Scale, Roman Period
continued until 300 BC.
Between the 330-30 BC in Hellenistic Period, the traces of ancient Greek culture are seen in
this region. Some of the rock
tombs in Çorum and around are
dated to this period. Also the
historical monuments that belong to this period are exhibited in Çorum Museum. Some
ruins and items have been
found during the subsequent
period to Hellenistic Period in
the region which is a part
Roman Empire.
Çorum has been a part of
Byzantine Empire after the departing of the Roman Empire in
395. There are items in Çorum
Museum belonging to this
period.
During this period Çorum was
called with names like
‘’Nikonia and Yankonia’’.
Çorum was conquered from the
Byzantine Empire in 1075, after
the Malazgirt War by Ahmet
Gazi the Danishmend, and became a part of the Danishmend
Emirate. The Danishmend Emirate remained independent until 1174 when it was annexed by
Sultan K›l›çarslan II of the Anatolian Seljuk State. It was during the reign of Sultan K›l›çarslan I that Çorum joined the
Anatolian Seljuk State.
It is reported that during clashed with the Crusade forces
near Çorum, Obruna, the ruler
of Çorum, sought shelter from
K›l›çarslan and the castle, in its
present form, was built during
the reign of Sultan K›l›çarslan I.
When Sultan K›l›çarslan I captured Çorum, relations with the
Danishment state deteriorated.
After K›l›çarslan I, Çorum kept
developing under the rule of
the Anatolian Seljuk State.
During the reign of Sultan G›yasettin Keyhüsrev II (12371246), in terms of administration, Çorum became the district
headquarters.
A new chaos time started in
Anatolia due to the defeat of
Anatolia Seljuk State in the
history
33
Pin, 20th Century
34
Köseda¤ War made between
Mongolians and Anatolian
Seljuks. This situation had an
impact on Çorum. Hüsamettin
having possessed Karahisar
Temürli also dominated Çorum and Osmanc›k. Emir Celalettin the son of Kunduz Bey
defeated Mongolians in Çorum to get Çorum and Amasya.
The unity provided by Y›ld›r›m
Beyaz›d was destroyed as a
consequence of Ankara war
(1402).
Çorum was kept under the
sovereignty of Ottoman
during the time of Çelebi
Sultan
Mehmet
was
ruling in Amasya under the
patronage of Timur. Çorum remained a Turkish city until the
Republic Era. Çelebi Sultan
Mehmet established a military
headquarters in Çorum.
Çelebi Mehmet unionizing the
Ottoman had appointed his
son Murad II Governor of
Amasya. Of Biçero¤lu Hamza
Bey the Lala (private teacher)
of Murad II served Çorum.
Çorum became a place where
communities like Karayaz›c›lar
as well as Celaliler revolted
since 16th century. Evliya Çehistory
lebi who visited Çorum in 1649
tells about it at following:
“We woke up and left K›rkdilim Brook and came hardly to
a village that we don’t even
know the name of. This was a
Muslim village with 200 families on the national ensign
lands of Çorum. Çorum has 42
districts and has 42 mosques.
There are 4300 houses with
cultivated areas and gardens.
Yeni Hamam (Hammam) is
quite pretty amongst others.
There are boarding schools in
7 places.
The Murathan Gazi Madrasah
is thriving and famous. There
are 11 elementary schools, 7
inns and active, pretty fountains in 18 different places. There are 3 dervish lodges and
300 stores with all kind of artisans. There are many scholars, witty noblemen, scientists, pious persons, and
sheiks. Its fine water and
weather is reflected on
healthy features of people.
In the south side of the city,
there is a beautiful, square
castle built for protection against the Celali and Cemali
scourges Yet it is small. Close
35
Armar, Ottoman Period
to Çorum, there is the “Afl›k
Pafla O¤lu fieyh Ulvan (Elvan)
Çelebi Ziyaretgah›”.
Elvan Çelebi is one of the sheiks of Orhan Gazi. There are
various buildings by his name
in the city. We came to the
‘’Seydim Sultan Dervish Lodge’’ in Çorum plain on the 11th
day. It is a big lodge than to
arrive at ‘’Karakeçeli Village’’.It is a Turkish village with
200 families on lands of Çorum. From here we set out for
Iskilip; Iskilip is a “fierif Kaza”, in other words a “central
town district”, with a budget
of 150 silver coins.
There are plenty of madrasahs
and scholars in Iskilip. This is
not a site for pleasure and
leisure, but not science. When
we arrived in Osmanc›k, we
saw that the “Sheik of the
Bektashi” was buried in the
west.
Visited by people from all over
the world, the leader of all saints, “Hazreti Koyunbaba”, a
successor to Hac› Bektafl, is
buried here. There is also a
bridge built by means of
“Grants by Bayezid’i Veli”;
each arch resembles the rainbow and the Milky Way. It is as
if the master architect built a
bridge over Hell, symbolized
by the wildly flowing river.
Its castle is to the east of the
K›z›l›rmak and is reached by
means of a huge bridge.
This is a small and sturdy
structure built on top of a steep rock close to the river. Its
circumference is 800 steps in
length.”
history
GEOGRAPHICAL
CHARACTERISTICS
‹skilip Plateau
38
Çorum is located in the inner
region of Central Black Sea. It
has an area of 12.820 m2 and
surrounded by Amasya in the
east, and Yozgat in the south,
Çank›r› in the west, Sinop in
the north, Kastamonu in the
northwest, Samsun in the
northeast and K›r›kkale in the
southwest. Situated at the location of 34º 04’ 28’’ E and
39º 54’ 20’’ W, Çorum lies at
an average altitude of 801
metres.
The city is 244 kilometres
from Ankara, 608 kilometres
from Istanbul, 92 kilometres
from Amasya, 294 kilometres
from Sinop, 172 kilometres
from Samsun, 188 kilometres
from Tokat. Distances of town
centres from the city centre
are: Alaca 52 kilometres, Bayat 83 kilometres, Bo¤azkale
87 kilometres, Dodurga 42 kilometres, ‹skilip 56 kilometres, Karg› 106 kilometres, Laçin 29 kilometres, Mecitözü 37
kilometres, O¤uzlar 68 kilometres, Ortaköy 57 kilometres, Osmanc›k 59 kilometres,
Sungurlu 72 kilometres and
U¤urluda¤ 66 kilometres.
The average height of the mountains within the borders of
geographical characteristics
Çorum is 1500 m. They get lower through South (Bozok Plateau) like a serial line formed
of Canik, Ilgaz and Küre mountains in Central Black Sea. The
height of these hills differs
between 1000-2000 meters
stretching from one side through coastal of K›z›l›rmak Valley and from another side
through coastal of Çekerek
Creek of Yeflil›rmak River.
High points of mountains are
located over the lands of ‹skilip-Osmanc›k and Karg› towns.
To the North of central town
E¤erci Mountain ridges, is placed and Alagöz and Köse Mountains to the west.
There is the K›rkdilim Gate
between these mountain ridges. In the south, the Dört Tepe range extends into southeast and merged into the Karada¤ range in Mecitözü ve Ortaköy districts. Similarly, mountain ranges that lie in the south and southeast on the district extend well into Sungurlu, to merge into the Kartal
Mountains. Çal Da¤ ve Ada
Da¤, both of which extend
along the K›z›l›rmak Valley in
Osmanc›k enter the district of
Karg› and reach Erenler Hill
Kalehisar
(2097 metres) on the Kös Mountains, one of the highest points in Çorum. To the south of
the same mountain range, Teke Da¤› of Iskilip, Kavak Da¤›,
Göl Da¤› ve Deveci Da¤› combine to form the Çakarözü Mountains.
The plains of Çorum are found
in different heigths. Çorum
Plain (780-800 m), Bozbo¤a
Plain (800-820 m), Ovasaray
Plain (700-800 m), Seydim
Plain (950 m), Hüseyin Plain
(725-875 m), Dedesli Plain
(950 m), Irmak Plain (500-550
m), Tayb› Plain (550-560 m),
Mecitözü
Plain (950 m),
Osmanc›k Plain (300-350 m),
Düvenci Plain (900 m),
Hamamözü Plain (450-500 m),
Budaközü Plain (550-580 m)
and Delice Plain (550-580 m)
are the main plains of the city.
The branches of K›z›l›rmak
and Yeflil›rmak formed valleys
FLORA
The flora of Çorum is examined in two regions. Oak and
needle leaf forests are found
in north. In regions at high altitudes of 1,000-1,200 metres, oak, cornelian cherry,
prunus dornestica, apple,
haw, brier rose can be commonly seen.
There is few lime tea trees found in the surroundings of
Hac›hamza. Yellow pine,
larch, fir, and calabrian pine
trees are found in Karg›, ‹skilip, Osmanc›k and Bayat The
natural flora of the city is moorland. Moorlands turn green
along with spring rain and
gets dry along with autumn.
Daisy, poppy, thistle, village
emigrated prick, goshawk
prick, coil grass, mullein, germander speedwell type of
flora has the possibility of
spreading in this region.
Alongside the rivers willow
and poplar trees can be seen.
Oak, juniper and black pine
trees are found in the high altitudes of Alaca, Sungurlu,
Ortaköy and Mecitözü. Colchium, hyancinth, tulips cover
all over plain areas along
with spring.
geographical characteristics
39
Obruk Dam
40
when passing through Çorum.
The valleys mainly, S›kl›k Gate
(on the way between Çorum
and Samsun 7 km), Hatap valley (where the Hatap creek
flows, 16 km long) Harami
Vallay-Calf Gate (connects
Seydim Plain to Dedesli Plain,
6.5 km), K›rkdilim Valley,
Sayacak Valley and H›fl›r
Valley.
The rivers of Çorum drain their
water to the basins of
K›zl›rmak and Yeflil›rmak
rivers, which are the most
important ones of Turkey.
K›z›l›rmak river basin 182 km
part, of which flows passes
Çorum through Bayat, ‹skilip,
central town, Osmanc›k, Karg›
towns and villages. The
brooks and creeks of the most
towns of Çorum Center, Alaca,
Mecitözü and Ortaköy are
drained to the Çekerek River
the most important branch of
Yeflil›rmak River in this
Yeflil›rmak River basin.
Çorum Çat Water (82 km),
Mecitözü Brook and Çekerek
River are the respectable
watercourses on the lands of
FAUNA
The mammals found in the
most parts of Çorum are roe
deer, deer, wild boar, bear,
sand badge, fox, marten,
chipmunk which are the outstanding. The mostly found
animals in ‹skilip, Dodurga,
Osmanc›k are deer, roe deer
and wild boar. Especially the
population of roe deer and
deer is significant and highly
protected. There are many
bird species identified in Çorum. Obruk Dam, Gölünyaz›,
geographical characteristics
Çorum Dam and ponds host
these species. The distinguishably found ones are as follows stork egret, eagle,
hawk, partridge, Eurasian,
hoopoe, cuckoo, woodpecker, quail, nightingale, core
win, crow blackbird and magpie, the distinguishing species of black vulture can also be
found in the region. Paddy fields in K›z›l›rmak River basin
in Osmanc›k have intense
stork population.
41
K›z›l›rmak River
Çorum. Eymir (Gölünyaz›) Lake in the central town is a reedy and marsh place water, of
which diminishes in the summer time.
Nevertheless the little ponds
named Uyuz Lake and K›rgöz
are also formed in center town
in spring. Besides there are
dams and ponds like, Çomar
Dam, Obruk Dam, Hatap Dam,
Alaca Dam, Yenihayat Dam,
Ahmeto¤lan Pond, Evci Yeni
K›flla Pond, Seydim Ponds,
‹negazili Ponds and Alacahöyük Ponds.
geographical characteristics
ÇORUM
STEP BY STEP
Relief Plate, Phrygian Period
44
BÜYÜK GÜLLÜCEK HÖYÜ⁄Ü
(MOUND)
KUfiSARAY HÖYÜ⁄Ü
(MOUND)
The foundlings obtained in researches in the mound taking
the name of the village due to
being found in vicinity of Büyük Güllücek Mound contain
Calcholitic and Phrygian period items as well as few Hittite
ceramics.
Following the searches of the
architectural ruins opposed to
sunlight belonging to Calcholitic Age, the constructions are
based on square or rectangular shape plans having two or
three rooms. The ruins of sundried bricks have been identified on the base of the constructions.
The interior sections of the
structures with basis had elliptical or circular fireplaces
on the clay covered grounds.
Data obtained from these studies suggests that there existed a small village with four or
five houses.
Among small items unearthed
are a goblet, a pitcher, an idol,
an amulet, a spoon, a whorl,
an animal figurine, a bodkin,
and an axe.
The mound in 25 m height is situated to the 15 km northeast of the center, to the 400 m
northwest of Kuflsaray Village
and in Düvenci Plain. Excavations have revealed that this hill
consists of pressed earth that
reaches the thickness of 4 metres in some places. The shape
of the hill suggests that a section as wide as 150 x 100 m was
surrounded by a wall.
city center
HACIMUSA HÖYÜ⁄Ü
(MOUND)
Hac›musa Mound is about 15
kilometres southeast of Çorum, between Elmal› and Hac›musa villages. Resting on a natural hill, the mound covers a
vast area. Surface study of the
mound has revealed several
findings, most of which belong
to the Early Bronze Age. In addition to these findings, a
small number of silex tools.
Among cups and potteries recovered from the southeast façade of the mound, there are
mono-coloured samples from
the Iron Age as well.
Çorum Castle
ÇORUM KALES‹ (CASTLE)
Çorum Kakesi located at the
center of the city bears the
specialties of Seljuk architecture. Despite the fact that the
building time of the castle is
not known, the first written
sources in regard to that are
dated in 1571. It is a Seljuk
construction made by Sultan
K›l›çarslan according to Evliya
Çelebi who visited Çorum in
the 16th century. The entrance
to the square structure is on
the northern façade. There are
circular towers on four corners
of the castle. On its southern,
eastern and western façades,
there are rectangular twin towers that protrude from the
main body. On the northern façade, there are three of these
towers. Various materials
from earlier structures were
used to build the castle; the
entrance is a gate with a brick
arch on top. Today, there is a
mosque and houses inside the
castle.
castle. The building first was a
small mosque in the records
of year 1730 then turned into a
standard mosque by adding
pulpit, and has been called as
Kale Camii till then. The construction which is supposed to
have been made before 1730’s
has his sanctum santram
as surrounded by three gathering place. The mosque having
this feature, it has a special
place within the Çorum
mosques.
Plying Material in the Walls of the Castle
KALE CAM‹‹ (MOSQUE)
The construction date being
unknown, the mosque is situated in the entrance of the
city center
45
Çorum Museum
ÇORUM MUSEUM
46
Çorum Museum having one of
the magnificent historical buildings, it has a contemporary
sense of exhibiting of archeological findings excavated
from ancient settlements and
ethnographic items collected
from Çorum. This building
which was built as hospital in
1914 according to its epigraph,
later on used as Agricultural
School, Art School, Trade
School, Mechanical Vocational School and Atatürk High
School. This three-flat building having the typical architectural features of 19th century is registered as ‘Cultural
Heritage Under Protection’.
Destroyed in a fire in 1988, the
building was restored to be
opened as Çorum Museum on
the date of 11.03.2003.
The archeological items from
Calcolitic Age (6000-3000 BC)
to the Byzantine Period are exhibited in Çorum Museum. The
most outstanding exhibition
of the museum is the ‘’L’’ Grave, one of the Early Bronze
Age Alacahöyük King Graves.
The tomb, with a skeleton,
bull and deer figurines used
as religious symbols, ornaments, and heads of bulls sacrificed for the funeral ceremony and placed on top of the
tomb, reflects typical features
of the burial culture of the
time among the most popular
items are the Hüseyindede
Alacahöyük King Graves, Early Bronze Age
It was organized with four
floors having two entresols,
large and small findings gathered from many archeological settlements the surroundings as well as in important those of Hattusa, Alacahöyük, Kuflsaray, Eskiyapar, Ortaköy (fiapinuva), Yörüklü-Hüseyindede and Pazarl›.
city center
Reconstruction of the Hattusa Settlement
embossed vases from the Old
Hittite Empire. These vases on
which various scenes from ceremonies are depicted are especially important for the
world of archaeology because
of the emboss technique
used. A model that depicts the
city of Hattusa, the capital city
of the Hittites, is interesting in
that it provides visitors with
visual information about architectural features of the time.
A bronze sword that once belonged to Tudhaliya II (1430
BC) and which bears cuneiform inscriptions attracts visitors’ attention. Tablets with
cuneiform inscriptions, seals,
golden, ivory and bronze figurines, ceramics, warfare, axes,
sickles, bracelets, pins and
the like enable visitors to the
museum to obtain detailed information about the Hittite art
and culture. The museum
features items from the Hellenistic, Ancient Roman and
Byzantine periods as well; this
indicates that the region was
important settlement in the late antique age. The museum
yard is also a separate display
area where items from various
settlements around the region
and from various periods are
on display. Plenty of items,
ranging from antique Roman
sarcophagi, Ottoman tombstones, epitaphs, and fountains, provide proof for the rich
collection that the Museum
possesses. In the Ethnography section of the museum,
items from the recent past of
Çorum are on display. In three
departments designed with
dummies and relevant items,
cultural features of the coffee
house tradition, a workshop
where chickpeas are roasted,
and a workshop where copper
Relief Vase, Hittite Period
city center
47
Çorum Museum
48
is worked on, are depicted. Elvan Çelebi Tomb Gate dated
the 14th century, local clothes,
rifles, pistols, swords, armours, daggers, china items, ornaments, lambs, jugs and rugs
are among items that are on
display in the Ethnography
section, shedding light on the
art and culture of people that
lived in and around Çorum in
the recent past. Çorum Museum is the most important
chain to complete the cultural
tour into the magnificent
cultural heritage from the
Hittites in that it covers such
important
archaeological
Ulu Mosque Fountain
city center
settle ments as Hattusa,
Yaz›l›kaya, Alacahöyük and
Sapinuva in Çorum.
ÇORUM ULU CAM‹‹ (THE
GREAT MOSQUE)
The construction date of the
Great Mosque, which is one of
the most beautiful mosques in
Çorum is not known accurately. The mosque with its dome which 12 columns carry, its
two storey narthex and its two
minarets is the most prominent one among the most important mosques in Çorum.
It is thought that the mosque
was constructed in the 13th
century by Hayrettin Bey, who
was an emancipated slave of
Keykubad III. The mosque
which was repaired during the
period of Murad IV (15741595) has been called Murad-›
Rabi Mosque after this repair.
It was Mimar Sinan, the great
Ottoman architect, who undertook the repair work. The
mosque which was badly damaged during 1786 and 1793
earthquakes became nonfunctional as a worship place, and
stayed ruined in this way for
8 years. It was repaired by
Ulu Mosque
Abdulfettah Bey in the year
1810. During the repair carried
out in 1911, the narthex was
handled and the minaret in
the east was added. Another
characteristic of the mosque,
which attract attention especially with its middle minaret
and the authentic architecture
created by the columns that
carry the dome, is its elaborate Minbar. It is known that it
was built in the year 1306 from
the inscription of the Minbar,
which was built with ebonytree and which has 12 steps.
Also the ornamental fountain
and alms stone which take
place in its courtyard are some
of the other interesting elements of the mosque.
HIDIRLIK CAM‹‹ (MOSQUE)
It’s located in the H›d›rl›k District. The construction date is
unknown. The tales say that
the Mosque was built by H›d›ro¤lu Hayrettin as a sign of
his respect to Suheybi Rumi,
one of the friends and servants of Muhammad. At the site of the old mosque the new
one was built by the will of Yedi-Sekiz Hasan Pafla in the period of Abdulhamid II. The
tombs of Suheybi Rumi and
Ubid Gazi which is situated
in the mausoleum in the
H›d›rl›k Mosque
city center
49
Veli Pafla Mosque
50
mosque, the tomb of Elhac Yusuf-u Bahri, which is situated
in the mausoleum in the garden to the west of the mosque and the tomb of Kerebi Gazi,
which is situated in the mausoleum next to the west of
the afore-mentioned mausoleum take place. The most important characteristic of the
mosque which has one minaret is its being able to survive
until today, together with the
cemetery in its courtyard. The
construction is one of the important religious construction
groups of Çorum in terms of its
architectural characteristics.
The construction date of the
mosque is not known accurately. According to some researchers, the mosque was first
built during the period of Seljuks. But the construction date of the mosque we see today
is 1889 as it can be understood from its inscription. The
city center
pulpit of the mosque was
made of marble, and the
pulpit door is of wood.
VEL‹ PAfiA / ABDÜLBAK‹
PAfiA CAM‹‹ (MOSQUE)
The mosque which Evliya Çelebi stated as “Defterdar Mosque” and which is called Abdülbaki Pafla Mosque today
has no inscription regarding
its construction. The ornaments of Veli Pafla Mosque
consist of the minaret, ceiling,
and upper windows, geometrical, botanical motifs on altar
and minbar and compositions
formed by these. On the minaret which was built of wood
the minaret balconies were
mounted on clapboards arranged concavely and convexly,
and its balustrades were decorated by openwork technique. The wooden ceiling over
the maksoora lacks a center
and the ceiling over the main
Kulaks›z Mosque
area is decorated with diamond shaped motifs. Right after the entrance, the niche and
the pulpit attract attention.
The rectangular niche is decorated with carvings around
which compositions consisting of plant motifs have been
placed. Abdulbaki Valipafla
Mosque, built by an unknown
architect, is an outstanding
mosque in Çorum with its
main area that is covered with
a wooden ceiling and which
runs horizontal to the niche,
with the large maksoora to the
north of the main area, and
with its small narthex and
wooden minaret.
KULAKSIZ CAM‹‹
(MOSQUE)
Consisting of one minaret and
one dome, Kulaks›z Mosque is
outstanding with its windows
with stained glasses, wooden
ceiling decorations, its protec-
tive case for Sakal-› fierif – the
Prophet’s beard, and its lack
of a narthex. Built in 18141815, the mosque is unique in
that it features a mükebbire –
a balcony for the imam to
preach from.
‹NAYETULLAH CAM‹‹
(MOSQUE)
With its rectangular ceiling,
timber-covered main area, the
narthex that combines with
the maksoora to the north of
the main area, and the wooden minaret, Inayetullah Mosque is ne of the rare examples,
survived intact with its wooden ceiling in Çorum. The
mosque was built in 1903. The
The other Mosques and
Tomb: Han Mosque (Gülabi
Bey Mosque-Ömer Neftçi
Mosque), Kubbeli Mosque,
Kellegöz Mosque, Kerebi
Gazi Tomb
city center
51
Pafla Hammam
fountain was added in 1963.
The mosque underwent a
major restoration in 2003.
PAfiA HAMAMI (HAMMAM)
52
Built in the 15th century upon
orders by Taceddin ‹brahim
Pafla, the structure consists of
two baths. The most important feature of this public
hammam is that it still retains
its original structure.
Ali Pafla Hammam
city center
AL‹ PAfiA HAMAMI /
YEN‹ HAMAM (HAMMAM)
The biggest public hammam
in Çorum, Ali Pafla Hammam
was built in 1573 upon orders
by Erzurum Beylerbeyi Ali
Pafla. The hammam located in
the central town has been
restored and today is still being used as hammam.
VEL‹ PAfiA HANI (INN)
The name of the inn which was
built by Veli Pafla, one of the
Beys of Yozgat, is seen in documents dated 1867 and 1887.
The inn, which was damaged
in a fire in 1914, was restored
by fievket Bey between the years 1915-1916 in its original
architecture. Standing out
with its strong and magnificent appearance, Veli Pafla Inn
is a two-storey stone building.
Only the mansion in front of
the inn was built as three-storey. The inn construction
which covers an area of 1000
m2 is the best example for the
traditional Ottoman inns in
Çorum thanks to both its plan
and its constructional characteristics. Initially the inn was
Veli Pafla Inn
used as a passengers’ lodge;
later, it served as a depot, a
hotel, a cargo building, and a
bus terminal; on a plan drawn
in 1982, there appear a
section where horse carts were left, as well as depots and
coffee houses around the stone-covered yard on the lower
floor. Upper floors are reached
through wooded staircases on
both sides of the yard and there are 35 chambers upstairs.
Upper floors of the structure
still retain their originality.
Plaster ornaments and tablets
over windows on the front façade indicate that the building
used to be a very elegant
structure. In the yard, there is
currently a supermarket.
Among inns of smaller sizes
are Tacettin Pafla Inn and
Kubbeli Inn.
to the yard of the Museum of
Çorum so that it can be protected. Built in 1916, there is an
epitaph of three lines over an
arched niche, and a second
epitaph on the upper right corner. The former states the
date of construction and the
latter the date of restoration.
ABAZA ÇEfiMES‹
(FOUNTAIN)
The Abaza Fountain which is
located in Yavruturna Neighborhood was constructed of
block stones and bricks. In the
place of oval-shaped inscription over the upper side of the
arched niche, the hijri date
1335 (1916 AD) can be read.
Pafla Fontain
PAfiA ÇEfiMES‹ (FOUNTAIN)
Pafla Fountain, in Yavruturna
Mahallesi, was moved in 1983
The Other Fountains: Çorbac› Fountain, K›l›çören Village Fountain, Maraz Hatice
Fountain
city center
53
‹stiklal Primary School
‹ST‹KLAL ‹LKOKULU
(PRIMARY SCHOOL)
54
The school, with the name of
“Mecidi School” in the first years it was built, was built between the years 1913-1915 during the period of Mutasarr›f
Nurettin Bey. Following the
proclamation of the republic,
the name of the school was
changed to ‹stiklal Primary
School in 1925. In the construction of the three-storey
building together with its basement partly brownstone
was used. The floor and ceiling of the building are
wooden. It is known that the
school building replaced a
madrasah and its library that
still stood in 1908. Today the
Municipality Building
school has been moved to
another place, the building
has been restored to be open
to visit as the “Education and
Technology Museum” and the
exhibition decoration is still
going on.
ÇORUM MUNICIPALITY
BUILDING
Built in 1925 as the National
Library, the building consists
of two floors; originally, the
upper floor served as a library,
partly a museum, a music
school, and a meeting room,
while the lower floor was a
bank and an office. After serving so many different sectors, the building became the
municipality building in 1960.
TRADITIONAL DOMICIL
ARCHITECTURE
In the traditional domicil architecture, building material
consists of h›m›fl (the technique of constructing a wooden
frame and filling blanks with
mortar) and ba¤dadi (the
technique of constructing
a wooden frame with thick
wooden
beams,
adding
closely placed thinner wooden
city center
Kâtipler Mansion
beams, and filling blanks with
mortar). In general, houses
have two floors and an extension to the street, from which
they are separated by means
of tall mud-brick walls. On the
ground floor of the houses generally rooms such as kitchen
and cellar take place. One can
go to the upper floor by climbing wooden stairs and reaches the hall that opens to the
rooms. One of the rooms
which are used for sleeping,
eating and sitting is bigger
and more adorned compared
to the others. This room is
built for hosting guests. Because it is built in the upper
floor and protruding to the
road, it is more spacious and
roomy, compared to the
ground floor. The floor and
ceiling inside the houses are
generally wooden. In some
houses wooden ceiling decorations attract attention.
Fireplaces with a cover, cups
to serve sherbet, and cupboards where mattresses and
pillows are kept, are typical
items in rooms. Niches on either side of the fireplace are
there to place coffee pots and
cups, and similar objects in.
The cover section of the fireplace, called yaflmak, is generally made of plaster. In some
samples of the traditional Çorum architecture, on the front
façade, either on upper corners of the upper floor or below the front plate over the
door, there is the date of construction. The doorknob is in
the shape of an iron hook with
a ball on its tip, or a maiden’s
hand.
KÂT‹PLER KONA⁄I
(MANSION)
The Kâtipler Mansion, one of
the historical values of Çorum,
which survived by being restored, is located in Alaybey Sokak (street) where the old
town tissue is preserved. In
1878, Seyit Mehmetzade Mustafa Efendi, the owner of the
house, was appointed as the
scribe for the Fourth Reserve
Force Batalion of the Fiftieth
Kengiri Regiment. Upon his
achievements in the war, Seyit
Mehmetzade Mustafa Efendi
was presented by Sultan Abcity center
55
Veli Pafla Mansion
56
dülhamit II a Medal of Honour
and the Order of Mecidi; when
he returned to Çorum, construction work for the mansion
started. Completed in 1882,
the mansion has two floors, an
inner hall, and a garden. Serving as a residence until 1975,
the mansion has been serving
as a private restaurant under
the licence by the Ministry of
Culture and Tourism since
1995.
The mansion is important both
because of its architectural feature, and because of being a
site where the most delicious
local dishes in Çorum are served. Owners of the mansion,
native to Çorum, keep tastes
and traditions of Çorum alive
despite pressure from modern
times. Careful to protect all features of the mansion true to
the original, the owners of the
building display the same assiduity in preparing and serving their dishes. Today, a vicity center
sit to the mansion is a must for
all foreign and local visitors to
Çorum as it is a special location where it is possible to experience architectural features in their original atmosphere and to enjoy local Çorum
dishes.
VEL‹ PAfiA KONA⁄I
(MANSION)
Veli Paflha Mansion was built
by fievket Bey, the son of Veli
Pafla, between the years 19231924. The construction which
conforms to the characteristics of a Turkish house with its
constructional characteristics
has a special place among the
historic houses of Çorum.
The mansion has two floors,
with a hall; with auxiliary building facilities in its yard, the
building retains its original
features. After a restoration
work, the building today serves as a restaurant with local
tastes.
Çorum Clock Tower
57
ALAYBEY SOKAK (STREET)
Alaybey Street, where the
original urban structure of Çorum is still felt, and where some samples of the local architecture have been restored
while others are waiting to be
restored, is a place for those
that enjoy historical houses
and are interested in architecture or the history of art.
Among other streets where
the historical atmosphere of
the city can be enjoyed are
Emir Ahmet Sokak and Azap
Ahmet Sokak.
ESK‹C‹LER / D‹K‹C‹LER
ÇARfiISI (BAZAAR)
Eskiciler (Dikiciler) Bazaar
which is located in the center
of Çorum consists of a very
narrow street and small shops
lining on its either side.
These are mainly cobblers;
both the street and the shops
still maintain the tranquillity
of the past. The most important characteristics of the
street are that it is made of
stone bricks and its shops
which resist time with their
wooden doors and windows.
Certainly one should not forget the craftsmen who carry
on their crafts in those small
shops.
ÇORUM CLOCK TOWER
The clock tower which is the
town symbol of Çorum was
built in the hijri year 1312
(1864 AD) by Yedi Sekiz Hasan
Pasha who was the Guard of
Befliktafl for Abdulhamid II.
The date 1312 could be read
on the marble inscription of 8
lines which takes place over
its round arched door that
opens to the south.
The clock tower, of pale stone,
is 27,5 metres tall. The base
city center
58
Çomar Dam
rests of an octagonal foundation while the tower itself has
24 corners. Covered with a
lead dome, the tower has four
clock faces, each of which can
be reached by means of four
separate stairs with 81 steps.
PROMENADES
ÇATAK NATURAL PARK
It is the most attracting resort
of the town center. This resort
which is 22 km far from the
town center is under conservation.
BAHABEY PINE GROVE
This excursion spot, 2 kilometres from the city centre, bears
the name of Baha Çorbac›o¤city center
lu, one of the former mayors of
the city. Covered with pine trees, this spot is one of the most
important green areas in the
city.
SIKLIK PROMENADE
This is a promenade on the
Çorum-Samsun highway for
daily visits, and it is close to
the city center.
HAMAMLIÇAY VILLAGE
THERMAL SPRING
It is in Hamamlݍay Village
which is 12 km far from the
center. Its water is 42ºC, and
it’s believed that it helps to
cure rheumatic illnesses, skin
diseases and to pass kidney
stones.
SUNGURLU
Ulu Mosque
60
The region where Sungurlu is
located is a region very rich
from the cultural point of view,
and which hosted the oldest
settlements of Anatolia. The
region, which had important
settlements, especially during
the period of Hittites, used to
be located on the trade routes. Following the Hittites, the
region which also includes
Sungurlu, and which had become a part of the lands of
Phrygians, Persians, Greeks
following the Hittites, got under the Turkish sovereignty after the Byzantine rule. The region was added to the land of
Ottoman during the period of
Y›ld›r›m Bayezid. The Bo¤azkale subdistrict of Sungurlu,
which became a part of Çorum
Pafla Bridge
sungurlu
in 1924, also became a district
itself in 1987.
Sungurlu takes place between
the Black Sea section and the
Central K›z›l›rmak River section, and is the biggest district
which belongs to the city of
Çorum administratively. Its
distance to the city center is 71
km and its area is 2557 km2.
Its elevation is 780 m. It takes
place in an area where the mountains in the Black Sea Region descend and take another
turn, and where the plateaus
of the Central Anatolia start.
BOYALI HÖYÜK (MOUND)
Following the archeological
excavations, archeological data have been found belonging
to the early Bronze Age, Early
Hittite Period and the plates of
Iron Age in Boyal› Mound. The
Early Hittite layer is believed
to conceal at least two architectural eras; here, broken
cups and pots, rythons, pieces
of cups with reliefs, spindle
whorls, and bronze pins have
been unearthed insitu. These
excavations have revealed
that in Boyal› Mound there
existed a settlement that was
slightly larger and longer-lived settlement.
Church
ULU CAM‹‹
(THE GREAT MOSQUE)
The main part of the mosque,
which was built by Mehmet
Sungur Bey in 1762, is covered
with a dome. It has a single
minaret and it was built with
bricks. Next to the mosque is
the grave of Mehmet Sungur
Bey.
KAVfiUT KÖYÜ CAM‹‹
(MOSQUE)
The accurate construction date of this building, which is
thought to be inherited from
the Seljuks, is not known. The
mosque which has a square
plan has a roof carried by
wooden pillars. Due to various
repairs it has diverged from its
authentic form.
plain construction which has a
square plan. It has two rooms
with square plans.
CLOCK TOWER
The clock tower was built in
1892 upon orders by Edip Bey
the District Governor. The main body of the clock tower
which has a square plan is divided to eight levels with extensions. Clocks used to work
by means of weights of 50 kilos. On the topmost level there is a wooden chamber; below this, there are clock faces
on four façades. Below them is
a balcony with an iron railing.
Clock Tower
SUNGURO⁄LU HAMAMI
(HAMMAM)
It is a single domed building
which was built by Mehmet
Sungur Bey in the 18th century.
DEM‹RfiEYH KÖYÜ TÜRBES‹
(TOMB)
Its construction year is not
known accurately. However,
its constructional characteristics remind of the Ottoman
tombs. In general terms, it is a
sungurlu
61
YÖRÜKLÜ (HÜSEY‹NDEDE)
HITTITE CULT CENTRE
62
Hüseyindede, 2,5 kilometres
South of Yörüklü Kasabas› in
Sungurlu, is an important
part of the archaeological wealth of Çorum as it possesses
a cult settlement from the
time when the Hittite Kingdom was founded. It is generally accepted that the ancient Hittite settlement in Hüseyindede was founded in
1650 BC. The most important
items found in Hüseyindede
are two vases with religious
rituel subjected reliefs. As
such vases with sacred topics
are rarely found, these vases
are, together with a vase previously found in ‹nand›ktepe
in Çank›r›, among rare items
in archaeology literature. After their restoration was
completed, these vases were
placed in the Museum of Çorum; their relief consists of
scenes from a Hittite religious
feast with music
and dancing.
Various musical instruments can be seen.
In addition to lutes
and percussion instruments, there is
a lyre on the big
vase. This lyre is
the oldest lyre
figure found in
Çorum. In scenes on the
small vase, some
Hittite women were depicted as holding hands and dancing together, which can
sungurlu
be interpreted as an ancient
proof for the past of folklore
of the city. On this vase, the
most interesting figure is that
of a Hittite man doing
gymnastic tricks on the back
of a bull. The acrobat figure
on the back of a bull, found
especially in Crete in 2000
BC, has been found in Syria
and Egypt, too. The theme in
reliefs on vases found in Hüseyindede is celebrations in
the accompaniment of music
and dance. These vases are
important in that, with their
male and female figures,
bulls, ox-carts, temple items
and architectural features,
they provide information about such features as religious
ceremonies, clothes, tools,
dances, and musical instruments of social life in the Hittite period. The vases and other pieces of ceramics were
found in the
warehouse of a
temple.
In
this cult centre,
no building that
might have been
used for secular
purposes has
been
found.Yet,
whatever has
been unearthed is considered the most
visible and striking samples of
the Hittite
period.
BO⁄AZKALE
HATTUSA TOUR PLAN
(The Lower City)
(Temple Number 1)
(The Upper City)
(The Lion Gate)
(The King Gate)
(Gate)
The Lion Gate
The history of the Turkish settlement in Bo¤azkale has started in the 16th Century, by locating Marafll› Dülkadiro¤ullar›, one of the Turkmen tribes,
in this region.
The group settled initially in
Yekbafl, which is located in
3km distance to Bo¤azköy,
has been moved to valleys of
the ancient Hittite capital. The
mansion, which can still be seen today, has been built within this period. The name of
the district has later been
changed from Bo¤azköy to
Bo¤azkale.
The settlement has been declared as a district in the year
1987. Becoming a district centre in 1987, Bo¤azkale is 83 kilometres southwest of Çorum.
Bo¤azkale covers a land area
of 260 km2 and lies at an altitude of 1,036 metres. The
most important water source
is Budaközü creek. Most of
the terrain is mountainous
and the rest consists of plains.
There are poplars in the town
centre and in Evren Beldesi;
there are oak and pine trees in
mountainous regions.
BO⁄AZKÖY / HATTUSA
ANCIENT CITY
The first settlement around
Hattusa-Bo¤azköy was in
6000 BC, in the Copper Age.
During this period, traces have been found of a small village in the upper part of Büyükkaya and of a settlement in Yar›kkaya, which is located in
2km distance. During the Early
Bronze Age (3000 BC) small
settlements have started to
rule by becoming religious
and political centers. The development process has been
accelerated due to the richness of mines in the region.
Another such center has been
established in Alacahöyük,
which is located in a 25 km
distance to Bo¤azköy. As
short while later a Hatti settlement comes out to the surface
in Hattusa-Bo¤azköy. It is seen that a continuous settlement starts to take place in
Hattusa towards the end of
the Early Bronze Age. Hatti ruins are seen in Hattusa, in Afla¤› fiehir (Lower City) , and in
the hills of Büyükkaya and Büyükkale. During the Middle
bo¤azkale
65
Büyükkale
66
Bronze Age, an Assyrian trade
colony has been established
in this Hatti settlement, the
Assyrian tradesmen, who came to purchase the rich minerals of Anatolia, have brought
the knowledge of script together with them. And as far as it
has been inferred from these
tablets; the name of the commercial center was “Hattus”.
In the early 2000 BC, there has
been conflicts between the
Hattis and Hittites, who later
Land Donation Certificate, Hittite Period
bo¤azkale
came to the region from another region. On a cuneiform
tablet, it is told that King Anitta of Kuflflara defeated King
Piyusti of the Hattus and destroyed the city. Excavations
reveal that the city of Hatttus
was destroyed in a fire in the
1700s BC. When the city was
declared the capital city by the
Hittite king in the second half
of the 17th century BC, Hattus
of the Hatti reappeared in history as Hattusa of the Hittites.
Hattusili 1st was the first king
who moved the capital from
Nesa to Hattusa, and assumed
the throne name Hattusili
(meaning ‘from Hattusa’) to
mark the occasion. During the
reign of Hattusili, the cuneiform writing that had been forgotten in Anatolia after the
Assyrian trade colonies came
into use once again. Hattusi
realized certain military achievements and his kingdom expanded to the border of Syria.
Mursili, when he rose to the
throne after Mattusili, kept organizing raids into Syria to
hold the Mesopotamian trade
routes and finally conquered
Sar›kale Excavations
Aleppo. His army marched
further into Babel. Yet, when
Mursili was murdered a period
of chaos ensued. In this period, the Hittite domination in
the region displayed an irregular pattern. Some land was
lost to the Mitanni Kingdom,
rebellions followed, and the
Empire experienced hard
times when Kaska tribes
attacked.
The period between 1400 BC
and 1180 BC is referred to as
the period of the Hittite Empire. It was during this period
when the Hittites re-emerged
from obscurity. Suppiluliuma I
regained control over the southeastern territories from the
Mitanni, and conquered Syria.
This made the Hittites establish land contact with Egypt.
The army of Muvatalli II met
with the army of Ramesses II
on the shores of the river Asi.
This event is referred to as the
battle of Kadesh, which probably didn’t result in a decisive victory of one of the parties,
but produced the first peace
treaty of history. This treaty
still exists, written on clay tab-
lets. During the reign of Muvatalli II, the Hittite capital was
temporarily moved from Hattusa. But during Hattusili III and his son Tudhaliya IV,
Hattusa returned to its previous splendor. During this period many construction projects
were initiated in the city. The
walls of the upper city were
restored and rebuilt, monumental constructions and
temples were erected, and a
new palace, with a great reception hall, columned galleries, houses and warehouses,
was built in the ‘Büyükkale’
great castle. Besides, it is generally accepted that the ‘Yaz›l›kaya Rock Temple’ was
Bulla, Hititte Period
bo¤azkale
67
Great Temple
68
completed during Tudhaliya
IV’s reign. All these developments made Hattusa not only
the political, but also the religious capital of the country.
But at the end of the 13th century BC, the upper city was
mostly abandoned, its temples ruined, and the city became vulnerable to attacks. Hattusa was destroyed, along
with the Hittite state, as part
of the Bronze Age collapse.
In 1986 Hattusa was incorporated into UNESCO’s list
of World Cultural Heritage,
which contains famous cities like Venice, Toledo, Jerusalem, Damascus, Rome,
and Machu Picchu. In 1988
Hattusa was announced to
be a national park. In 2001,
the nearly 30,000 pieces
Hattusa clay tablet archive
which is now preserved in
the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara, and the
Istanbul Archeology Museum, was included in UNESCO’s Memory of the World
list.
bo¤azkale
After the destruction, Hattusa
was ripped off of its political,
religious, and economic power and influence, and was
abandoned altogether. Although the excavations unearthed layers of fire, it is realized
that the citizens had time to
evacuate the city. Excavations
revealed that the Hittite state
archives and giant provision
amphorae in the great temple’s warehouses were left behind, when the city was evacuated. During the Early Iron
Age, the Hattusa area saw a
number of small settlements.
Traces of these were found at
‘Büyükkaya’ the great rock,
the lower city, the hillside
house, and ‘Büyükkale’ the
great castle. With the start of
the Middle Iron Age, the number of settlements increased.
One is unearthed at ‘Büyükkaya’, dating to the 9th century
BC, two at the lower city and
the ‘Büyükkale’ dating to the
8th century BC. At the 7th
century BC, a castle was built
at the ‘Büyükkale’, the settlement in the lower city was
scaled down, and the
Water Tank
‘Büyükkaya’ settlement was
abandoned altogether. The
Cimmerians, who eventually
destroyed the Phrygians, posed the greatest threat to the
city during this period. The
Kybele statue found at the
‘Büyükkale’, and earthenware
pieces bearing inscriptions
with the Phrygian alphabet,
show that the city had contacts with the west. During the
6th century BC, the area was
under Persian occupation, like
the rest of Anatolia. During the
3rd century BC the Galatians
settled in the region. A new
castle was erected in the ‘Büyükkale’ during this period. In
25 BC the area came under Roman rule. Byzantine remnants
have been excavated both at
the lower and upper city of
Hattusa. The apse at the ‘Mihrapl›kaya’ the rock with a nic-
he is an interesting Byzantine
structure. It is believed that
the Byzantine rule lasted until
the 11th century.
HATTUSA – THE LOWER
CITY GREAT TEMPLE
(TEMPLE NUMBER 1)
The area at the entrance to the
Hattusa site is called the Lower City. The Great Temple
(Temple no. 1), which was built over an artificial terrace is
the most important ruin in this
part of the city. The temple
was used during the Empire
period, between the 14th century BC and the 13th century
BC. The residential houses
which are located in the northern part of the temple and
below the terrace, and from
which only the walls and foundations are left, also belong to
the same period. The great
Great Temple
bo¤azkale
69
Reconstruction of the Hittite City Walls
70
temple, whose dimensions are
65 meters to 42 meters, is the
largest structure of Hattusa.
Along with the warehouses
that encircle the temple, it covers an area of 14,500 square
meters. The 1.5 meters high
pedestals of the temple walls
which were made by limestone blocks have been preserved. Some of these blocks are
5 meters long, and weigh 20
tons. The temple had a flat
roof. The open courtyard was
decorated by stone tiles. Most
of the religious ceremonies
were carried out in this courtyard. The temple had two sacred rooms where only the
king, the queen and a number
of high priests were allowed
to enter. The other rooms
were used for cultic rituals,
and for the priests. Excavations in the northwestern warehouses revealed hundreds of
gigantic earthenware jars and
amphorae. These jars could
take up to 1,750 liters each,
and were used to store the
provisions of the temple, like
grain, pulses, oil, and wine. In
the other warehouses an arcbo¤azkale
hive of thousands of clay tablets were unearthed.
RESIDENTIAL HOUSES
The houses in the Lower City
went through alterations frequently for 400 years. During
the first years, most of the
houses had their own courtyards, but in time, houses
with anterooms became popular. It is believed that priests,
officials, merchants, and
craftsmen used to live in these
houses. The ordinary people
were most probably living in
village type settlements and
farms. The houses had flat roofs, and many rooms. The stove was inside the house. Central fountains provided drinking water, and drain water
ran through channels connected to the sewer system.
The central part of the Lower
City was inhabited long before
the Hittites even emerged in
Anatolia. The settlement of
Hattusa, which dates back to
the end of 3000 BC and the
start of 2000 BC, used to be
located here. It belonged
to the autochthonous Hatti
The Lion Gate
people. There was also a settlement dating to 19th century
BC and 18th century BC, during the age of the Assyrian
Colonies.
THE RECONSTRUCTION OF
THE HITTITE CITY WALLS
The city walls that can be seen
from afar when approaching
the Hattusa site are an important implementation of experimental archeology. With this
project, some 65 meters long
segments of the mud brick city
walls of Hattusa were re-erected as of 2005. Three wall segments, 7 to 8 meters high,
along with two 12 to 13 meters
high towers were re-constructed. The reconstruction reveals the power and splendor of
the ancient Hattusa. The hillside house, which also belongs
to the Lower City, is located on
the ramp that leads from the
great temple to the king’s palace at the ‘Büyükkale’. This is
believed to be an official place, because of the rich cuneiform tablets found during
excavations.
The house was abandoned
after a fire at the end of the
13th century BC.
HATTUSA – THE UPPER CITY
THE LION GATE
The Lion Gate is one of the
symbols of the city. It is located in the Upper City, and is
named after the two stone lion
statues guarding the gate.
Two towers stood at the two
sides of the door, each 15 meters high and 10 meters wide.
The lion figure has also been
used in the temple entrances
and palace doors, in the hope
The Lion Gate
bo¤azkale
71
Yerkap› (Gate)
Yerkap› (Gate)
that it would provide protection. The mouths of the lions
are open, to intimidate threats
coming from the outside. The
hieroglyphic inscription at one
side of the lion remains undeciphered, only the last word,
which means “gate”, has yet
been read.
YERKAPI (GATE)
After one passes through the
Lion Gate, one can admire the
view of the city from this high
place. When one stands at the
‘Yerkap›’, which is 1250 meters above the sea level, one
can view the excavations, the
restored structures, and the
peaceful landscape of Hattusa. ‘Yerkap›’ is a postern gate,
located at the southern end of
the city. It is also the highest
spot. The wall that extends
from the Lion Gate to the
King’s Gate passes over a
ramp built of stacked soil.
Above this ramp is the Sphinx
Gate. ‘Yerkap›’ (the door on
the ground) assumes its name
from the postern, which is the
only tunnel in Hattusa still intact today. This tunnel was built before the stacked soil
ramp was built, the ramp was
built over it. This monumental
stacked set is 35 meters high,
250 meters long, and 80 meters wide at the base. It is believed that the set had a religious purpose, rather than military.
THE SPHINX GATE
Below the stacked soil set is
the ‘Yerkapi’ postern door,
and above it is the Sphinx Gate. This gate has no towers on
either side, which is not typical to Hattusa, but here the
The Sphinx Gate
bo¤azkale
73
The Temple Quarter
74
door itself passes through a
tower. The gate is named after
the sphinxes found there. The
two sphinxes belonging to the
gate that faces the city were
found in ruins in the 1907 excavations. They were dismantled in order to be resorted.
One of them is in the Istanbul
Archeology Museum, but the
other one has not been returned from Germany, and now
rests at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.
THE TEMPLE QUARTER
The ruins that face the ‘Yerkap›’ belong to Hittite temples.
After the city was secured with
the erection of the southern
wall, this spot was turned into
a real cultic district. With the
archeological excavations, 30
temples have been identified
in the Upper City. Hittite texts
speak of the “thousand Gods
of the Hattian land”. This statement hints at the Hittites’
tradition of adopting the Gods
of foreign lands and cities. Although the Hittites didn’t dedicate a separate temple in each
of these Gods’ names, we
bo¤azkale
know from the Hittite texts
that rocks, trees, groves, and
springs can be dedicated to
Gods. This place contains
many temples of varying
sizes. The big ones cover
1,200 to 1,500 square meters,
while the small ones are about
400 to 600 square meters. Some of the temples had their
own agricultural lands and
personnel, and they also served as places where food was
processed and stored. Depending on the origin of the particular God to which the temple
was dedicated, some of these
temples even served as embassies and had political aspects. Unfortunately, the Gods
associated with the temples in
the temple district have not
been identified yet. Since the
temples were emptied before
the city was abandoned, no
evidence remained on the
matter.
KING’S GATE
This gate is situated in the
eastern part of the Hattusa
city walls, and has the same
features as the Lion Gate.
King’s Gate
Each of these gates has two
towers on each side, and a
high arch shaped gateway.
The King’s Gate has the same
size and plan as the Lion Gate.
The towers here are also the
same with their 15 x 10 meters
dimensions. The difference of
the King’s Gate is that the warrior relief on the gate faces the
city, rather than the outside
world. The high relief depicted
is a fully armed warrior. He is
2.25 meters tall, from the tip
of his helmet, to the sole of his
feet. Roomy, this relief is displayed in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, in Ankara.
The one that now stands at
the site is a replica. The warrior wears only a patterned
skirt. His sword has a crescent
handle, and it hangs from his
thick belt. Although the identity of the warrior is not certain, he is generally accepted to
be a God, due to the horns
seen on his helmet.
CHAMBER 1 & CHAMBER 2
The chamber number 1,
amongst the rooms, which are
located close to the eastern
pools, which constitute the
water source, which satisfy
the majority of the water need
of the city, is attracting attention with its arch, with a height of 3 meters. The chamber
number 2, different than the
chamber number 1, is attracting attention with rich relief
and hieroglyph scripts. Since
the chamber was full with soil,
the reliefs have succeeded to
last until today. At the back
Chamber 1
bo¤azkale
75
Chamber 2
76
wall of the chamber, there is a
figure holding a wand, as a power symbol, with its long coat,
and sharp and upturned
shoes. It is perceived from the
sun disk at the head of the figure, it is understood that this
figure is the God of Sun. It is
thought that the figure holds
in his other hand “Ankh”,
which is perceived as the symbol of life in the Ancient Egypt
culture. At the entrance of the
room, a relief of Suppiluliuma
II is seen, who is the last king
Chamber 2
and the builder of the chamber. The king has been described in this relief as a warrior,
with his short skirt, the axe on
his belt, the spear in his right
hand, and with his arc on his
left shoulder. With the odd
helmet on the king’s head, it is
perceived as the king has personalized himself as a god. On
the other wall of the room,
there is a six line script, written with hieroglyph. The Luvi
hieroglyph is a pictured script,
developed in Anatolia and has
nothing to do with the Egyptian hieroglyph. The invasions
are being described in the epitaph. And it is accepted as this
room being related to cult.
Both chambers have the oldest stone arches of the Near
East.
GÜNEYKALE
(SOUTHERN CITADEL)
The citadel, which is a Phrygian masterpiece, constructed
after the year 700 BC, is located in the Güneykale region.
The entrance to the tower was
enabled through a door at the
northwest, having two towers
on the sides. There were ateliers, residences, and depots
within the tower.
bo¤azkale
Niflantafl
N‹fiANTAfi - N‹fiANTEPE
This hill is a rock, on which
there is a construction, as it is
the case with other rock
blocks in Hattusa. It has been
found out that the rock blocks
with sphinx reliefs on them,
which are grounded in the soil, located right in front of the
rock, belong to a gate. As it is
the case of sphinx in Yerkap›,
which are facing outside of the
city walls, only the front part
of the block is embossed with
reliefs. The found pieces of
the sphinx are exhibited in the
Bo¤azkale Museum. The reason why this place has been
named as Niflantafl or Niflantepe is the epigraph, which is
written with 11 line script Luvi
hieroglyph, having a height of
8,5 m. The epigraph was not
read due to being damaged
because of natural reasons.
BÜYÜKKALE
(ROYAL CITADEL)
The flat area, with the dimensions of 250 x 140 m, on which
the king’s palace is being located, is being naturally protected with sharp rock hillsides. This naturally protected
area is the most suitable place
for the king’s palace. This hill
has been the scenery for many
settlements throughout the
history. The first settlement,
located in this area, has been
established towards the end
of the 3000 BC, during the
Early Bronze Age. During the
era of the Hittites, this place
became a complex, with city
walls. In 1000 BC, during the
Büyükkale
bo¤azkale
77
Yaz›l›kaya, Entrance to Chamber A
78
Iron Age, the Phrygians have
settled here and the Hellenistic era settlers have benefitted
from the advantageous geographical features of this site
and continued to live here. At
earlier times there has been a
viaduct, which enables climbing to Büyükkale. Amongst
the ruins, which were prevailing in the king’s palace, were
building items, such as doors,
courtyards, military buildings,
kings’ rooms, religious buildings, court, and pool. Rich
clay tablet cuneiform scripts
were excavated out of the soil
in some sites of Büyükkale
(between the buildings E and
K and A). Hundreds of cuneiform tablets were found which
were containing, states agreements, written state corresYaz›l›kaya, King Tudhaliya IV, Relief
bo¤azkale
pondences, curse scripts, cult
instructions, traditional literature, court verdicts, and historical texts. The clay archive
tablets have played a major
role for studying the Hittite
history.
BÜYÜKKAYA (BIG ROCK)
During the 16th century BC,
the Büyükkaya has taken the
form of a protective castle, together with the city walls,
which have been added during
the 13th century.
Büyükkaya has been used as
the grain silo, in which the country’s grains were preserved
during the 13th century BC.
The grains were protected in
big square bores, with stone
grounds.
Only 11 bores are known and
the biggest bore has the dimensions of 12 x 18 m and a
depth of at least 2m. At least
260 tonnes of grain were stored in this silo. The bore,
which had been filled with
grain, was filled with soil and
the grains, which were not
contacted by the air, were able to be kept without being
damaged for a long time.
Yaz›l›kaya, Main Scene Chamber A
YAZILIKAYA ROCK TEMPLE
The discovery of the Yaz›l›kaya Rock Temple, located in the
north east of Bo¤azköy, with a
distance of 1,5 km., has been
made by Charles Texier, who
came here in the year 1834.
Thanks to the impact, which
was created by the reliefs,
many European researchers
have visited Yaz›l›kaya; come
of them made drawings and
some others engaged into
small scale excavations. When
coming to the year 1861, together with the most attention
grabbing discovery of the era,
namely with the camera, some
of the Yaz›l›kaya reliefs were
photographed. However, scientists had difficulties in the
interpretation of these reliefs.
Some of them have interpreted the figures on the reliefs
The Great Cult Chamber,
which has been labeled as
the Chamber A, has a length
of 30 m. Onto the adobe
walls of Chamber A, which
has been embroiled with
stones during a certain time
period, reliefs were engraved, in the form of continuo-
as confrontation of Amazons
and Paphlagonias or Lidians
and Medes. According to some interpretations, these figures have been proposed as
showing Herakles and Astarte
and their companions. Surely,
the reason as to why there are
so many diverging opinions is
that there is so little information regarding the Hittites during this era. As the researches have progressed, and as
the findings were evaluated
further, it has been understood that the Yaz›l›kaya
reliefs were representing the
gods of 13th century BC. It has
been depicted as to how the
gods and goddesses, with
Hurri origin, in the leadership
of the Teshub (Storm God)
and his wife Hepat, came to
her one by one to celebrate
us cords. On the left side of
the chamber, god and on the
right side of the chamber
goddesses have been pictured. All of the figures are facing the same direction and
all of them seem to be moving towards the back wall
of the chamber.
bo¤azkale
79
Yaz›l›kaya, Chamber A Goddess Relief
80
the New Year Feast. There are
71 god and goddesses figures.
The Yaz›l›kaya open air
temple, which is located between the rocks, at a height of
approximately 12 meters, and
composed of two rooms, is
located in the northeast of the
Great Temple, with a distance
of 1.5km. It is thought that the
temple has been used for the
celebrations of the New Year
and spring celebration feasts.
CHAMBER A
In front of the two section
temple, which is visible today
as well, there has been a giant
group of buildings. It is thought that these buildings, of
which the walls, ground bases
and pillars have been able
to reach our contemporary
times, were having adobe
walls and flat ceilings. The
courtyard, which was able to
be reached with stairs, was
surrounded with various rooms. The altar, which is placed in the court, makes
someone think that the
bo¤azkale
bathing and first cult ceremonies have been held at this
place. Having a gate structure,
with stairs, the Chamber A
was entered from this courtyard.
Within the first figures of the
Chamber A, the twelve underground gods, the gods have
been depicted with their short
skirts, and with sharp and high
helmets. Their sickle shaped
swords are attracting attention. In the god reliefs, there are
usually figures being depicted
with short skirts and sharp helmets. These figures are grabbing attention with upturned
edged shoes, swords with the
end being bent, and the haft,
in the form of a crescent and
pommels, they are carrying on
their shoulders. Furthermore,
in some of the god figures there are edged beards, and earrings. Amongst these figures,
three god figures have been
depicted as having wings. The
mountain gods are quite interesting amongst these god
figures. The mountain gods,
Yaz›l›kaya, Entrance to Chamber B
being described as having
long skirts, embroiled with fish
flake motives, were seen more
grossly compared to the other
gods. Two bull-men, who are
seen in this relief cord, are
grabbing attention. The bullmen, standing on the earth
surface, are carrying a crescent, symbolizing the skies.
Only two goddess figures are
seen on the wall, where there
are god figures. These two
goddesses, who are the servants of the god Shaushka, are
depicted as following the god
Shaushka. The names on the
reliefs, where the gods are depicted, and the names are
written with Luvi hieroglyph
and where all God names are
written in Hurri Language.
The mother lands of this tribe
of Hurris, influencing the Hittites during the 14th and 13th
centuries BC, have been Eastern Anatolia and North Mesopotamia.The main theme at
the back wall of the Chamber A
is the encountering of the God
Teshub and Goddess Hepat.
The Storm God Teshub figure
has a beard, and is standing
above the two mountain gods
and big pommel in his hands.
Most probably, it is the Storm
God of Hatti country and the
god Kumarbi, behind the
Storm God. Both gods are
standing on the rock blocks.
The Goddess of Sun Hepat is
taking her place within this
scene, carrying the characteristic clothing features of the
goddesses, with her long pleated dress and high helmet. The
goddess is standing above a
wild cat, which is standing on
four mountain blocks. Behind
the goddess, Sarruma is taking his place, who is the son
of Hepat and Teshub, and
again standing on a wild cat,
which is standing on mountain
blocks. Behind Sarruma, there
is his sister Goddess Alanzu,
and right behind Teshub’s
granddaughter. These two
goddesses have been depicted
above a double headed eagle.
On the right side of the chamber only figures of goddesses.
When the general features of
the goddesses are considered,
it is seen that they have long
pleated dresses, upturned
bo¤azkale
81
God Sarruma and Tudhaliya IV
Yaz›l›kaya, Chamber B
edged shoes, high helmets
and earrings. At the end of the
goddess figures, right across
the main scene, there is the
largest figure of this open air
temple. The fact that the
Tudhaliya IV’s depiction is
placed here, seems to be supporting the opinion that this
open air temple has been constructed to its last situation by
this king. The king has been
depicted as wearing a long
coat, upturned edged shoes
and a round helmet. He is
holding a long wand with its
bent end. His haft is also seen
at his belt. The king is standing
on top of two mountain blocks.
The king has its name, title
clearly written in the hieroglyph next to the depiction.
Since the Chamber B has been
filled with soil until towards
the mid 19th century, the reliefs are in a better shape when
compared to the Chamber A. It
is thought that there is a
sculpture, raised in the honor
of Tudhaliya IV, the dead father of Suppiluliuma II. And it is
considered that the limestone
block in the entrance has been
used as the pillar of this sculpture. The twelve god reliefs,
which are seen in Chamber
A, are also seen in Chamber B
as well. And on the wall, facing these god reliefs, the sceYaz›l›kaya, Chamber B , Underground
God Nergal Relief
CHAMBER B
The Chamber B, located next
to the Chamber A, is a narrow
chamber, with a length of 18
m. The entrance is enabled
through a narrow hall. There
are two winged demon reliefs,
with lion heads, having raised
their hands, as if they would
intend to protect the entrance.
bo¤azkale
83
Yaz›l›kaya, Chamber B, Twelve God Relief
84
ne takes place, where God
Sarruma is guiding Tudhaliya
IV by hugging him. In this scene, God Sarruma has been depicted as bigger than Tudhaliya IV. The interesting depiction on this wall is the portraying of the Sword God or the
Underground God Nergal. A
vertically standing sword figure is seen here. On the haft of
the sword, there is a sharp
helmeted male figure, as if it is
a god. On the place of the shoulders of the figure, there are
two lion heads facing out and
their upper part of the body,
being embossed. And there
are two lion figures, head turned upside down, with their
open mouths on the main haft
of the sword. The last relief
here is the cartridge, indicating the name and the title of
Tudhaliya IV.
BO⁄AZKÖY MUSEUM
The museum, located in the
Bo¤azkale district, is a local
museum, in which the items,
obtained from to the Hattusa
excavations and brought in
from the surroundings, are
being exhibited and stored. In
the museum, here the Hittite
bo¤azkale
items are at a majority, items
are exhibited as well, which
are belonging to the periods
of Chalcolitic, Early Bronze
Age, Hittite, Phrygian, Roman
and Byzantine.
In the first hall of the museum,
ceramic items are being exhibited, belonging to Chalcolitic,
Early Bronze Age, Assyrian
Trade Colonies periods.
In the second hall, large size
beak mouthed crocks, belonging to the Assyrian Trade
Colonies and Old Hittite era,
ceramic and stone masterpieces, belonging to the era of
Old Hittite and Empire period,
and painted ceramic bowls
and fibulas, belonging to the
Phrygian era, ceramic and
glass masterpieces, belonging
to the Roman period, and
items, belonging to the
Byzantine era, are being
exhibited.
In the middle show windows,
tablets with cuneiform scripts,
terracotta seals, cylindrical
and flat seals, bronze axes,
pins, tools for stonemasonry,
patterns, an ivory figure of a
dancing goddess, a group of
three deities, pendants, and
ceramic pieces with reliefs.
ALACA
The Sphinx Gate
86
The history of the Alaca district, is showing parallel features to the general history of
the region. The region, where
the district center is being located in the ancient periods, is
named as “Etonia”. Even a
town is being mentioned during the Ottoman period, naThe Sphinx Gate
med Hüseyinabad, which has
been declared as being a district in the year 1919, it has
been formalized as a district
with the name of Alaca.
The square meter of the district is 1.346 km2, and its altitude is 950 m. Alaca is located
at a distance of 52 km to Çorum, 53 km to Yozgat, 43 km
to Sungurlu. The district is hot
and dry in the summer and
cold and rainy during the winter. The annual average amount of rain is 376 mm.
ALACAHÖYÜK
Alacahöyük, which has been
introduced to the world’s archeology platforms by W.G.Hamilton, in the year of 1835, has
been visited by many researchers and travelers since then.
G. Perrot has drew the plan of
the Sphinx Gate in the year
1861. In 1894, E. Chantré has
conducted a series of research
studies. In 1907, H. Winckler
and Makridi Bey has effectuated a small exploration around
this door. During the years
1926-1927 H.H. von der Osten
has brought the mound once
alaca
Temple
again to the agenda with
maps and plans. With the order of Atatürk, on behalf of
Turkish History Institute, the
excavation, which has started
in 1935, in the direction of R.O.
Ar›k, has been continued to be
carried out starting from 1936.
These excavations have been
pursued very intensively until
the 1970’s; and continued to
be carried out on smaller scales after then. The Alacahöyük
excavation is the very first national excavation of Turkey.
Especially, the architecture,
belonging to the Phrygian and
Hittite era tablets, has been
renovated in the direction
of M. Akok. The scientific
excavations have been
restarted towards the
middle of the nineties.
45 kilometers southeast of
Çorum is Alacahöyük. The
monumental gates and stone
foundations date back to the
Hittite Empire period, 1450
BC to 1200 BC. The temples,
gigantic structures, specialblock houses, streets, big and
small water channels, city
walls, the Sphinx Gate decora-
ted with orthostatic reliefs,
and the Postern Gate, that
were unearthed by archeological excavations, all belong
to this period. The monumental sphinxes that welcome their visitors with thousands of
years old hospitality are carved of andesitic blocks over
limestone foundations. These
sphinxes stand on both sides
of the 10 meters wide gate
entrance.
Spouted Pitcher
alaca
87
Postern Gate
88
The Sphinx Gate is actually
the main entrance to the Great
Temple, to which it is connected by an avenue. The frame
blocks on both sides of the
door are carved as sphinxes.
The interior and exterior of the
two towers are decorated with
orthostatic reliefs. The bull
figure on the western tower
represents “the Storm God of
Postern
alaca
the skies”. The reliefs also depict the King and the Queen,
the bearers of cultic objects,
people who bring rams and
goats as sacrifice, and people
who perform with daggers and
ladders. There are also the figures of people who hold an
instrument and a rython
(which is an animal shaped
vessel), and a bull figure believed to be a cultic object. On
the eastern tower, people who
worship the King and the Queen are depicted. On the interior of the eastern sphinx, there’s a two headed eagle, holding a rabbit in his talons.
Alacahöyük, where the foundations of settlements and other ruins were excavated,
sheds light on the Hittite architecture and art. But the most
important find at the site is
the royal graveyard. The walls
of these graves are built of
stone tiles, sealed on the roof
with wooden girders. On the
top of the roofs, heads and
legs of sacrificed cattle were
found. There are a total of 13
graves. These are believed to
belong to princes and princes-
Alacahöyük Settlement
ses and are dated to the Early
Bronze Age. The objects found
inside these burial chambers
include ornaments, sun disks,
deer and bull sculptures, weapons like stiletto, axe, and
sword, and other objects made of clay, stone, gold, silver,
bronze, copper and electrum.
Both with the grave offerings
recovered, and the architecture of the graves itself, the Alacahöyük royal cemetery provided us with invaluable information on the burial traditions, and the artistic and architectural characteristics of the
period. A reconstruction of
one of these grave chambers,
along with the objects and offerings found inside, is displayed in the Çorum Museum.
The excavations in Alacahöyük revealed layers dating to
The Hittite dam was built by
Tudhaliya IV, who was one
of the most active kings. It is
known from the Hittite tablets that, after a severe drought, the king built dams in
Central Anatolia. The Hattu-
the Chalcolithic and the Early
Bronze Ages, the Hittite period, and the Phrygian period.
Deer Statuette, Bronze Age
89
sa dam was dedicated to the
Goddess Hepat, and it was
different from the other
dams because it was fed by
underground water and its
source was inside the basin.
alaca
Eskiyapar Settlement
THE ALACAHÖYÜK
MUSEUM
90
Serving under the Museum of
Çorum, Alacahöyük Museum
is next to Alacahöyük. In addition to items from various cultural phases (the Copper,
Early Bronze, Hittite ages) in
Alacahöyük, there are also
items from excavations in
Pazarl›.
ESK‹YAPAR
This mound is located 5 kilometers west of the Alaca District, 25 kilometers northeast
of Bo¤azköy, and 20 kilometers southeast of Alacahöyük,
on the Alaca – Sungurlu road.
Archeological excavations in
Eskiyapar started in 1968 and
continued in various periods.
During these excavations various remains belonging to the
Tup Head, Phrygian Period
Early Bronze Age, and the Hittite, Phrygian, Hellenistic, and
Roman periods have been found. In one of the Early Bronze
Age houses, two silver chalices, a silver pan with a long
handle, a silver cup, and an
electrum ceremonial axe were
found on a big cup with a single handle, buried under the
floor. Inside the cup were golden earrings, a golden bracelet, a small necklace, a golden
needle, and golden, silver and
onyx beads. Another treasure
inside the same house revealed a golden pin, two silver
pins with crystal heads, golden and silver earrings, a silver bracelet, a piece of another silver bracelet, and various beads made primarily of
gold, silver, crystal, and onyx.
The Eskiyapar excavation proved that these kinds of treasures could also be found in residential houses, and were not
limited to the grave offerings
found inside burial chambers.
PAZARLI HISTORICAL SITE
Excavations at the Pazarl›,
which is 30 kilometers north
of the modern Alaca District,
has shown that the site was
settled during the Chalcolithic
alaca
Gerdek Rock Tombs
and Early Bronze Ages, the
Hittite Period, the Phrygian
period, and the Classical period. But the most important
finds have come from the
Phrygian layers. Terracotta
plates used to decorate façades are considered special
works of piece by archaeologists. These plates, on which
warriors with shields, spears
and helmets are depicted
matching, lions and bulls fighting, and mountain goats climbing the tree of life, figures
are both in relief form and painted. Surviving from the 7th
century BC., there plates have
a special place and great importance in the history of
Anatolian architecture.
in 1893 in the name of fieyh
Efendi, an immigrant from
Ardahan.
ALTINTAfi KÖYÜ CAM‹‹
(MOSQUE)
The mosque in the village of
Alt›ntafl has been built by
Sultan Refladiye in the first
half of the 19th century. It is
domed and has a single minaret. The motifs on the pivots
add charm to the architecture.
MAHMUD‹YE (KALEH‹SAR)
KÖYÜ / BEHRAMfiAH
KÜLL‹YES‹ (BUILDING
COMPLEX)
Dating back to the Seljuk
period, the building complex
Eski Mosque
ESK‹ CAM‹‹ / ÇARfiI CAM‹‹
(MOSQUE)
The mosque was built in the
name of Ömer Bey, one of the
governing leaders of Çorum, in
1722. Having undergone
restoration, the mosque still
retains the original stone base
of its minaret.
YEN‹ CAM‹‹ (MOSQUE)
Built during the late Ottoman
period, the mosque was built
alaca
91
Hüseyin Gazi Building Complex
92
built in the Kaletepe site
about 2-3 km. south of
Mahmudiye village consists of
a madrasah, hammam, tomb
and an inn. Built out of rubble,
the madrasah features two vaulted openings and rests on a
square plans that runs in the
north-south plane. The longer
vaulted opening serving as
the entrance leads into an
open yard. On either side is a
study room; on either side of
the main vaulted opening
across, there is one room. On
either side of the yard, there
are three rooms with doors to
the yard. In the yard, there are
remains of the vaulted opening. The public bath is located to the southeast of the
madrasah. Some walls of the
building, resting on a square
plan, no longer exist. The inn
is in the west wing of the building complex. Today, only fountains of the inn survive. The
tomb is in the north; the only
alaca
thing that remains from the
tomb and its square plan is a
piece of an arch.
HÜSEY‹N GAZ‹ KÜLL‹YES‹
(BUILDING COMPLEX)
The Hüseyin Gazi Building
Complex, 3 km. south of Alaca
consists of a madrasah, a kitchen for the needy, a tomb, pool, fountain and guest house.
The entrance to the complex
of buildings is a portal made
from black and white marbles.
This portal from the 13th century has an empty epitaph
and there are engraved bracelets on both sides of the epitaph. The tomb which is rectangular shaped and covered
with cross-vaults, is entered
through an arched door. Over
the door is a 12-pointed start
motif on colourful marble, and
an epitaph of four lines. Inside
the tomb, there is the
symbolic coffin. The tombstone consists of 12 pieces.
ORTAKÖY
Building A
94
The archeological remains of
Ortaköy town are enough evidence for its rich history. The
city of Sapinuva of the Hittites,
where scientific excavations
are still being held, give important clues about the past
of both the town and the city.
The town has been a base for
various settlements afterwards, inhabited during the
conversion of Anatolia into a
Turkish land, and become a
town in 1959.
Ortaköy lies at the end of the
Kelkit Valley, between Black
Sea Mountains and Central
Anatolia. Located southeast of
Çorum and south of Mecitözü,
Ortaköy is 60 km. away from
the center of Çorum. Having
the city of Amasya in the east
and Yozgat in the south, it has
an area of 238 km2 and an altitude of 720 m. Ortaköy has
generally rugged terrain and
its most interesting geographical formation is the ‹ncesu
Canyon.
ORTAKÖY - SAPINUVA
ANCIENT CITY
Based on the information in
ortaköy
the Bo¤azköy archives, Sapinuva had Hurri religious images, so it was considered to be
close to the Hurri region, southeast of Bo¤azköy-Hattusa.
Following surface studies, excavations started and Sapinuva was found 60 km. northeast
of Bo¤azköy.
Having come to the region, the
Hittites terraced the big slope
on the plateau and formed
this great city. Thanks to its
position and micro climate,
Sapinuva was not only the capital of the Hittites, but also
had superior military power
The east side of the city is very
suitable for spending winters
as it has a mild climate. In a
text from the times of Mursili II
(13th Century BC): “His Majesty will spend the night in
Sapinuva, and the army in
Hanziva.”
This place should not be far
from Sapinuva as it supplied
the necessary conditions for
the army. The Kelkit Valley,
along the Black Sea Mountains, has the most fertile plains
of Anatolia. It also builds a
route for trade that is still in
Building B, Pithos
use today. With the advantages of abundant lands, micro
climate and the artery of commerce, Sapinuva grew and flourished rapidly.
Sapinuva also had an important role in the realm of religion for the Hittites. It is stated
that holy texts necessary for
purgation, like Itkalzi (purification of mouth), have been
given out to the Hittites from
Sapinuva.
The excavations in Sapinuva
also revealed monuments of
architectural importance. The
2 m. thick base walls of Building A are still standing. The
bases of Building A, 25 m. wide and 100 m. long in eastwest axis, remained without
any destruction.
The east wing of the building
has been built on 5 m. thick
sealant. This is an important
indication about the building
techniques of the Hittite era.
The Building A is a monumental piece all through Anatolia.
This building in symmetrical
design is believed to have at
least two floors, except the
basement. One of the richest
examples of Hittite era tablet
archives is also found in here.
The building is surrounded
with a protection wall with towers.
The Building B, 150 m. east of
Building A, is a single floor,
square shaped building covering an area of 1250 m2. The
pebbled entrance hall with detailed workmanship is worth
of notice. Another two-door
entrance to the area shows
that carts could have entered
here with ease through a platform. Inside the building, there are about 70 earthenware
jars for liquids and cereals,
and many reservoirs for fabric
or metal goods. So, it looks like a market place full of jars
and stores.
The plain on which Buildings A
and B stand is interpreted as
the upper terrace while Buildings C and D are further south. With two altars, a ceremony hall (with another altar
in it), and an adyton in its courtyard, the Building C has obviously been used for religious
purposes.
Among the findings, there are
ortaköy
95
A¤›l Önü Workshops
96
many spears and axes engraved with the words “The Great
King”. Furthermore, on a
stamp box found in the adyton
is written in hieroglyphics
“The Great King Tudhaliya and
Taduhepa”, an evidence of the
royal connection to the building. A stone axe with lights
coming out from its back, again found in the adyton, is a
very unique and rare finding
from the Hittites.
Another building of religious
importance, D stands next to
C. There are two orthostats in
the building standing opposite each other. The one on the
left represents Teshub, all armored, leaning on a spear in
his left hand, welcoming visitors.
The offerings found in the purification pool and in the adyton are very rare examples.
Some other findings, bronze
spear heads and axes with the
writing “The Great King”, a
bronze armor and a helmet are
so important as to enlighten
the era.
ortaköy
Researchers have been completed only in a small part of
the terrace. Still, in the northern A¤›lönü, an old street
with shops has been discovered and excavated.
Many small objects from metal, ceramic, stone etc. have
been found during the excavations. Most of the tablets discovered so far date back to the
Mid Hittite era (14th Century ).
But from the scripts found in
Bo¤azköy, it is evident that
The Great King Mursili II has
also been in Sapinuva. This indicates that Sapinuva has been settled not only during the
Mid Hittite era, but for a much
longer period.
The cuneiform written Sapinuva archive is the second biggest archive regarding the Hittite era after that in Bo¤azköy.
The excavation and conservation works being held in Sapinuva, one of the most impressing antique cities in Anatolia,
is elucidating a very crucial
period. But it still is a must to
visit the city in order to fully
‹ncesu Canyon
comprehend its greatness and
importance.
‹NCESU CANYON
The canyon located in ‹ncesu
village is 12,5 km. long and
40-60 m. wide. The canyon is
surrounded by steep rocks on
both sides, and it only has one
way in and one out. An ideal
environment for trekking or
rafting, ‹ncesu Canyon is very
generous in terms of both fauna and flora. Red vulture, redbill mountain crow, snake eagle, red hawk, grey kingfisher,
mountain wagtail and weather
are just some of the birds to
observe.
Goddess is described frontally
and a lion figure is thought to
be next to her. Unfortunately,
through the elements of nature in time and lately mankind,
the details of this relief cannot
be seen.
Rock Relief of Goddess Kybele
ROCK RELIEF OF GODDESS
KYBELE
The monumental Kybele rock
relief is situated inside the ‹ncesu Canyon, 1 km. away from
the namesake village. High
enough not to be affected by
the waters of Çekerek River,
the relief has been made in a
niche by engraving the rocks
surrounding it. Kybele the
ortaköy
97
‹ncesu Canyon
MEC‹TÖZÜ
Elvan Çelebi Tomb
100
Avkat (Beyözü) was known as
Eukaita in the antiquity, and is
only a few kilometers away
from the town of Mecitözü.
From the 4th century on, this
settlement gained reputation
and importance based on the
cult of a Christian soldier-saint
called Theodoros. Legend has
it that a woman named Eusebia brought the saint’s body to
Eukaita and raised a church
here. In course of time, the
city has been surrounded with
walls, attained more and more
significance and rose to the level of episcopacy. From the
7th Century onwards, Eukaita
continued being a crucial military base at the Byzantine border, but started to lose its importance after the Seljuk invasion towards the end of the
11th Century. Still, the town
survived the Seljuk and Ottoman periods due to its transit
position. Under the Ottoman
dominance, Mecitözü was bound to the Amasya District of
the City of Sivas for a long period, and in 1916 to the Çorum
District of the City of Ankara.
With the foundation of the Republic, Çorum became a city
and Mecitözü, its town.
Mecitözü has been founded
mecitözü
on the slope of a plain, surrounded by Avkat Mountain in
the north and, Ç›kr›k and K›rklar Mountains in the south.
Mecitözü Stream flows from
K›rklar Mountain, enters the
borders of the city of Amasya
and joins Çorum Çat Creek.
ELVAN ÇELEB‹ CAM‹‹, TEKKE VE TÜRBES‹ (MOSQUE,
DERVISH K-LODGE AND
TOMB)
Elvan Çelebi Mosque and Dervish Lodge have been built in
a large quad and are pioneering examples of the Ottoman
era. Built in 1352 by Elvan Çelebi, the son of Âfl›k Pafla, this
complex consists of a tomb, a
dervish lodge with three vaulted halls and a yard, and a
mosque. The wooden door of
the tomb, built with a special
wood carving technique in the
14th century can be seen at
Çorum Museum’s Ethnography Section.
BEKE / F‹GAN‹ THERMAL
SPR‹NG
The hot water of the thermal
spring near Figani village is at
the service in a big pool and is
believed to heal many illnesses.
U⁄URLUDA⁄
102
Resulo¤lu Graveyard
First known as K›z›lören, this
town became a district of the
town of ‹skilip in 1929.
In 1954, its name was changed
to U¤urluda¤ regarding the
Urlu Mountain (Urlu Da¤›) nearby. In 1969 it became a municipality and a town in 1987.
U¤urluda¤’s neighbors are Çorum’s center town (66 km.),
Sungurlu, Bayat and ‹skilip. It
covers an area of 596 km2 and
its altitude is 775 m.
RESULO⁄LU EARLY
BRONZE AGE SETTLEMENT
AND GRAVEYARD
Near the town of U¤urluda¤, in
the Resulo¤lu Village lies an
Early Bronze Age graveyard.
On the east coast of Delice
u¤urluda¤
Stream, this settlement is a
significant archeological site
dating to the second period of
3.000 BC, belonging to a local
tribe in the pre-Hittite era.
Over 200 stone tombs give important clues about the beliefs
and burial traditions of this tribe. Among the findings are
many earthenware pots, metal
weapons, metal vases and ornaments. The ornaments consist of metal brooch pins,
necklaces, bracelets, ear- and
hair rings, anklets and earplugs. The onyx, frit, sea shell,
stone necklaces draw special
attention as the ones made
from copper, silver, gold and
electrum are very eye catching.
‹SK‹L‹P
‹skilip Castle
104
Although there are many assumptions about the name ‹skilip, the exact origin of this
town’s name is still uncertain.
Considered in the districts
Paphlagonia or sometimes in
Bithynia in ancient times, ‹skilip was conquered by the Seljuk commander Gümüfltekin
Ahmet Gazi in 1075. During the
reign of Y›ld›r›m Bayezid, ‹skilip has been added to Ottoman land and later became a
town of the city of Çorum.
‹skilip lies where Central Anatolia and Black Sea Regions
meet. The distance between
the town and its neighbors
are: Çorum 56, Kastamonu
140, Osmanc›k 92, O¤uzlar
124, Bayat 33, and U¤urluda¤
26 km. ‹skilip is surrounded
by mountains on the west and
the east. Yivlik (1320 m), Ça¤›l
(1410 m), Kale (842 m), Erenler (1084 m) and Somut mouniskilip
tains are volcanic formations.
‹SK‹L‹P KALES‹ (CASTLE)
High on a hill (100 m.) and surrounded by steep rocks, ‹skilip Castle gained its final form
in Ottoman times. The castle’s
gate faces south and, it contains two underground ways
and a dungeon.
‹SK‹L‹P ROCK TOMBS
At the center of ‹skilip, on the
south-southeast hill of the
castle are rock tombs to be
seen. The tombs have been
carved in rock and have double columns at their entrances,
resembling ancient Greek
temples. The capitals of the
columns are embellished with
engravings of animal figures.
The tomb with mythological figures described on its façade
has two rooms inside. There
are other tombs underneath
Rock Tombs
this one carved vertically but
the upper tomb is in much better condition today.
and has a single balcony minaret that stands on a stone
base.
fiEYH MUH‹DD‹N-‹ YAVS‹
CAM‹‹ (MOSQUE)
‹skilip’s oldest mosque (15th
century) has been built by
Seyh Yavsi, the father of an
Ottoman Seyh ul-Islam
(chief religious officer) and
scholar Ebussuud Efendi.
Next to the mosque stands
the tomb of Seyh Yavsi, raised by his son, Ebussuud.
The mosque has been built
with hewn stones and bricks
EVL‹K KÖYÜ CAM‹‹ & TÜRBES‹ (MOSQUE & TOMB)
The mosque in Evlik Village
is made completely of
wooden material. The mosque consists of two parts, of
which the eastern one is for
prayer.
The other part contains the
tombs of the son and relatives of Akflemsettin, the famous teacher of Sultan
Mehmet the Conquerer.
105
fieyh Muhiddin-i Yavsi Mosque
iskilip
Ulu Mosque
106
BÜYÜK / ULU CAM‹‹
(THE GREAT MOSQUE)
HACI AL‹ ÇEfiMES‹ II
(FOUNTAIN)
The Great Mosque was built in
1841 by architect Cöcüko¤lu
Hasan, inspired by the Great
Mosque in Çorum. The mosque has a single minaret and
architecturally, wooden rests
have been used for support.
Inside, the mosque is embellished with famous Kütahya tiles dating back to 1909/1910.
Another fountain in Ali Bey
Street, this one has been
transported near the old cemetery from its original place
in Kad›nlar Pazar› (Womens’
Marketplace). On its tablet,
it’s written that the fountain
was built in 1843 and restored
in 1867. Made from hewn
stone, it has a single faucet.
Other fountains in ‹skilip are
Eski Tosya Fountain, Çuval
Fountain, Yan›klar Fountain,
Mutaflar Fountain and Cafer
Gazi (Sakarya) Fountain.
HACI AL‹ ÇEfiMES‹ I
(FOUNTAIN)
The fountain is in the Ali Bey
Street of Yenicamii quarter.
The date 1813 (old 1228) is
seen on the marble tablet.
Hac› Ali Fountain
iskilip
Other mosques: Tabakhane
Mosque, New Mosque,
Hanönü Mosque
‹skilip Traditional Domicil Architecture
TRADITIONAL DOMICIL
ARCHITECTURE
The main entrance of a typical
‹skilip house is a double winged, wooden door. The basement rooms with no windows
to the outside usually open up
to a courtyard paved with stones. Around this are such places as the hay storage, stable,
cellar, and winter rooms. In
some houses the stable and
the hay storage are located
outside the house, as separate structures. In houses with
an intermediate storey, this
floor holds the winter chamber and the guest room. Some
guest rooms have stairs, and
even separate entrances. Houses are generally built according to the h›m›fl – half-timbered – technique; the roof is
sloped and covered with tiles.
the plateaus is animal husbandry where people feed
their animals easily while
producing dairy goods. Black
pine, yellow pine, oak and
juniper are the most common
trees in the uplands.
ELMABEL‹ PROMENADE
This promenade lies on the ‹skilip-Tosya road, in a distance
of 13 km. from ‹skilip. With its
completed infrastructure by
the Forestry Management and
playgrounds, Elmabeli is ideal
for daily picnics and sport
activities recreation.
‹skilip Plateau
PLATEAUS
Transhumance is still a living
tradition in ‹skilip. The plateaus of Seki, Karaa¤aç and Çuhalar are the mostly visited
ones and house many families
from spring on. The most common economical activity on
iskilip
107
‹skilip Plateau
BAYAT
Emirbey Mosque
110
Despite some ruins from ancient times, Bayat is believed to
become a settlement in the
14th and 15th centuries. Founded by the Bayats, an O¤uz tribe, this place was a small district named Alagöz in the early
years of the Republic and
became a town in 1958.
Being in a distance of 83 km.
from Çorum, the town covers
an area of 770 km2, its altitude is 625 m., and annual rainfall is 445,2 mm. Bayat lies at
the junction of Central Anatolia and Mid Black Sea regions,
covering part of the Köro¤lu
Mountains and Mid K›z›l›rmak
area.
Bayat’s major stream is the
Bayat Stream, arising from Karatepe and Öbek Hills, building a 45 km. long valley in
the north-south direction and
flowing into K›z›l›rmak.
North of the town stands the
2013 m. high Karatepe and heights decline towards the south. The hilly northern region
is mostly covered with pine
bayat
and oak forests whereas the
south consists of steppes.
EM‹RBEY CAM‹‹ (MOSQUE)
The oldest mosque in Bayat,
Emirbey Mosque was built in
1846. Rising of a stone fountanion, the building was built by
setting a wooded frame and
using mud bricks to fill gaps.
The minaret is wooden.
KUNDUZLU AND
KUfiCAÇ‹MEN‹ PLATEAUS
These two plateaus are in the
mountainous northern region
Karatepe, 100 km. away from
Çorum and 25 km. from Bayat.
The transhumance tradition is
still valid here. Especially on
the Kuflcaçimeni plateau
many camping tents can be
seen during summer.
Covered with black pine, yellow pine and fir trees, offering
various fresh water springs,
and granted with untouched
natural beauties, this is an
ideal spot for upland tourism.
O⁄UZLAR
Obruk Dam
112
After the Turkish O¤uz tribes
moved to the region, many settlements have been founded associated with their tribes’ names, one of which is definitively
the town of O¤uzlar. While it once was a small village of ‹skilip,
in 1990 it became a town. O¤uzObruk Dam
o¤uzlar
lar is placed in the Mid Black
Sea Region, in a distance of 68
km. from Çorum. With an altitude of 650 m., the town has K›z›l›rmak river on the southeast
and the towns Dodurga and ‹skilip on the east and west respectively.
LAÇ‹N
114
Kap›l›kaya Monumental Rock Tomb
Once a village consisting of
two parts as Büyüklaçin and
Küçüklaçin, Laçin became a
town in 1990. Being on the Çorum-Osmanc›k road, and 29
km. away from the city of Çorum, Laçin’s neighbor settlements are Hamamözü (east),
Osmanc›k (north), Dodurga
and O¤uzlar (west), and
Çorum (south).
LAÇ‹N KAPILIKAYA MONUMENTAL ROCK TOMB
27 km. north of Çorum, a region called K›rkdilim houses a
monumental tomb carved in
rocks, dating back to the Hellenistic era, 2th Century BC. The
environment has been formed
laçin
into a valley through the harsh
elements of water and winds.
65 m. high from the river, 8
steps lead to the second platform from which 12 more are
needed to reach the podium in
front of the grave. The grave is
welcoming its visitors with the
word “Ikezios” engraved at the
entrance. The grave is square
shaped and has individual niche tombs on both sides.
With an area of 214 km2 and
altitude of 720 m., Laçin also
covers some parts of two
mountains on its south,
Köse (1750 m.) and E¤erci
(1765 m.).
DODURGA
116
Dodurga
The name of this town comes
from “Toturga”, one of the 24
O¤uz tribes as mentioned in
the very first, famous dictionary of the Turkish Language
“Divan-› Lugat-it Türk” by
Kaflgarl› Mahmut. Dodurga
has been affected by many
earthquakes through history.
After the First World War, rich
lignite ores were discovered in
dodurga
the region which helped Dodurga become significant and
develop, thus becoming a
town in 1990.
Located 20 km. south of the
Istanbul-Samsun highway,
and 45 km. north of Çorum,
Dodurga is a settlement right
at the shores of the Alpagut
Stream. It has an area of 191
km2 and an altitude of 510 m.
OSMANCIK
A view from Osmanc›k
118
Ancient geographer Strabon,
born in Amasya, mentions a
settling called Pimolisa in his
book Geographica (XII, III,
40). He describes Pimolisa as
“ruins of a king’s castle” and
refers to a river, too. Regarding his writings, researchers
were inclined to think of Pimolisa to be today’s town Osmanc›k. Although it is also
known that some European
travelers of the 19th Century
refer to Osmanc›k with the same name, there is no certain
evidence that Osmanc›k was
once called Pimolisa. Osmanc›k adhered to Turkish hegeK›z›l›rmak River
osmanc›k
mony in the year of 1075.
Starting with the Seljuks and
ending up in the modern Turkish Republic, Osmanc›k became a town of Çorum in
1924. 430 m. high from sea level, covering 1.187 km2 of
land, Osmanc›k is very rich in
terms of water sources, the
biggest of which is the K›z›l›rmak River. K›z›l›rmak River
runs through Osmanc›k for 80
km., conferring plenty of fertile soil in its canyon. The highest mountain of Osmanc›k is
‹negöl Mountain standing
1.864 m. high adorned with
pine, oak and juniper forests.
Osmanc›k Castle
OSMANCIK / KAND‹BER
KALES‹ (CASTLE)
The castle on a high hill in Osmanc›k is considered to be
built first by the Romans. Restored and renowned many times throughout history,
chances are high that the
castle was given its final shape by the Seljuks. Underneath the castle, some secret
tunnels have been discovered
that open up to K›z›l›rmak.
KOYUNBABA TÜRBES‹
(TOMB)
Raised in 1469 by Sultan Bayezid II, the tomb is the only
building that could survive
from a complex of buildings.
It is octagonal shaped and
has a pyramid roof.
Koyunbaba Tomb
osmanc›k
119
Koca Mehmet Pafla Mosque
KOCA MEHMET PAfiA /
‹MARET CAM‹‹ (MOSQUE)
120
Once just a part of a complex
of buildings, the mosque is
given the name, who had it
built between 1431-1432, Koca Mehmet Pafla. After the
original minaret broke down,
a new one has been erected.
The mosque consists of midand main areas, and side
chambers. It is of special inte-
rest with its niche and portal
that was made from marble.
The portal is surrounded with
a three piece arch. With its
noticed dome, niches and the
epitaph, this portal simply
represents utmost artistic
work. Just the engravings on
the double wing wooden door
of the portal are enough proof
for the perfection of Anatolian
handicrafts.
Koca Mehmet Pafla Mosque
AKfiEMSEDD‹N CAM‹‹ &
MEDRESES‹ (MOSQUE &
MADRASAH)
Built in the 15th Century by
Sultan Mehmet’s teacher, Akflemseddin. Only the classroom, covered with a dome, and
two other rooms rode out the
time. They are being used as
a small mosque today.
KOCA MEHMET PAfiA
HAMAMI (HAMMAM)
Raised by Koca Mehmet Pafla
in the 15th Century, this Turkish hammam is a fine
example of civil engineering
in Osmanc›k. It consists of
two separate parts and has a
dome.
osmanc›k
Akflemseddin Mosque and Madrasah
BALTACI MEHMET PAfiA
ÇEfiMES‹ (FOUNTAIN)
This fountain in Osmanc›k is
the only example that survived from the four fountains
Baltac› Mehmet Pafla had
built. It dates back to 1705, to
the first grand vizier period of
the Pafla. The 18 line of
poetry has been engraved on
white marble.
KOYUNBABA KÖPRÜSÜ
(BRIDGE)
Koyunbaba Bridge stands underneath the Osmanc›k Cast-
le, on the K›z›l›rmak river. Built by the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II., this classical Ottoman bridge is 250 m. long and
has 15 arcs. Its stone panel is
not on the bridge, but on a
rock at the feet of the castle.
BAfiPINAR KARACA
PLATEAU
The plateau in Baflp›nar is
ideal for camping and hiking.
The hiking route starting in
Karaca plateau goes through
the woods and reaches the
recreation spot in Köklen.
Koyunbaba Bridge
osmanc›k
121
Koyunbaba Bridge
KARGI
Hac› Hamza Hammam
124
Karg› was a part of the Paphlagonia region in the maps of
ancient times. Just like the
whole region, Karg› has also
been under Hittite, Phrygian,
Lydian, Persian, Hellenistic,
Roman, Byzantine and Turkish
domination through history.
Karg› is a town of Çorum since
1956 and is 113 km. away from
the city. Ilgaz Mountains, one
of the highest parts in the
West Black Sea Region form
the northern part of Karg›. The
highest spot in Karg› is Çömlekçi Hill (1946 m.) Standing in
the west-east axis, Ilgaz Mountains decline in height towards the east with Kara Hill
standing only 1486 m. on the
east border of the town.
M‹HR‹ HATUN CAM‹‹
(MOSQUE)
The mosque has been built in
the name of Mihri Hatun, the
wife of Sultan Murad IV., after
she passed away in Karakise
village. The mosque has been
greatly affected by the earthquake in 1943 and had various restorations in the following years.
karg›
M‹HR‹ HATUN HAMAMI
(HAMMAM)
The hammam was built in the
same period as Mihri Hatun
Mosque.
O⁄UZ CAM‹‹ (MOSQUE)
The founder of the mosque in
O¤uz village is unknown and
its architectural specifications
point out to the 16th century.
This is one of the typical Ottoman single minaret mosques
with an extension for prayer
on the front side. The mosque
is covered with a central dome
which is supported by a threevault half dome.
S‹NAN PAfiA KÜLL‹YES‹
(BUILDING COMPLEX)
Sinan Pafla Külliyesi consists
of a mosque, primary school,
hammam and an inn with the
mosque being the most important building in this complex. It has been raised during
the reign of Sultan Bayezid II.,
by Sinan Pafla between 15061507 as stated in the epitaph.
The mosque is one of the first
and fine examples of the central-planned mosque architec-
Menzil Inn
ture of the Ottoman era in
Anatolia. The dome covering
the praying area is carried by
four columns. This main dome
is supported by half-domes on
the sides and by four small domes in the corners. But, the
mosque lost a lot of its originality during restorations. Its
minaret is made of brick and
has a single balcony. The
madrasah surrounding the
mosque’s courtyard unfortunately did not survive. Primary
school is a simple building inside the Islamic-Ottoman social complex (Külliye). It is domed and square shaped with a
furnace and niches inside.
The inn with a single tunnel
vault is in ruins today. The
hammam is quite simple and
unornamented. It consists of
three parts: the domed “cold”,
vaulted “warm”, and double
domed “hot” sections. It has
been restored in 1956.
HACIHAMZA KALES‹
(CASTLE)
Located to the north of the ‹n-
cesu Spring, the castle is believed to have been built in
1723, during the reign of Sultan Ahmet III. When, in the
18th century, people of the region left their homes for fears
of security and started living
in the mountains, Sultan Ahmet III sent a formal edict to
the mayor and the judge in Sivas so that a castle to surround all houses and shops would be built. The castle was
built by Seyit Ali. It was during
the reign of Sultan Mahmut I,
in 1734, that the castle was
completed. Local people kept
on living inside the castle until
the mid-20th century.
KARGI PLATEAU
In a distance of 140 km. to the
city center and 26 km. to Karg›, this plateau is rich in local
architectural examples. E¤inönü, Aksu, Karandu, Göl, Örencik, Karaboya and Gökçedo¤an are other plateaus in the
region. Gökçedo¤an and Aksu
are also famous for trout
farming.
karg›
125
126
Abdullah Plateau
ABDULLAH PLATEAU
Located in the highest mountain of Çorum, Kös Mountain
(2050 m), this plateau is 114
km. far from Çorum and 26
km. from Karg›. The flora mainly consists of yellow pine
and black pine. There are convenient facilities for lodging
and eating. The trekking route
between Abdullah and Onar
plateaus is also very popular.
TRADITIONAL DOMICIL
ARCHITECTURE
Generally planned with a
karg›
long-room, some Karg› houses are overhanging while
some have a straight outer
surface.
Base floors have rubble stone walls, and the spaces between assisting columns and
supporting cross elements
are also filled with rubble
stone. Upper floors rise on
wooden traverses.
The walls of upper floors
consist of wooden columns
and adobe bricks.
The roofs are usually covered with roofing tiles.
Karg› Traditional Domicial Architecture
TRADITIONAL
CULTURE
TRADITIONAL
HANDICRAFTS
BASKETRY
Baskets are produced from
the nut tree and a certain kind
of willow, called the white willow. These are made for being
used as fences and various
kinds of baskets, like hand
baskets, women’s baskets,
children’s baskets, the 'zembil' (woven basket) for shopping and the flattish 'sele'
(basket). Basketry is a living
handicraft in the town of
Iskilip.
PACKSADDLE PRODUCTION
Packsaddles, which are used
to saddle beasts of burden,
have also been produced in Iskilip for a very long time. These are made of goatskin and
reed, and a fast working master can make one saddle in a
day. Some of the types of pack
saddles are the frameless and
soft ‘palan’, which is used to
saddle donkeys, the cross
saddle, the flat saddle, and
the black saddle used with
mules.
“KARGI” FABRIC
To meet the basic clothing needs in the region, this particular kind of cloth has been produced in and around the town
of Karg› and some villages in
the Kizilirmak river valley, like
Gökçedo¤an, Ba¤özü, Köprübafl›, and Karacao¤lan, for at
least 80 to 100 years.
HAND WEAVING
Weaving is basically made in
Ortaköy. The product range
encompasses bags, socks, kilims, and cushions.
BAG WEAVING
The square or rectangle food
bag, which is an original product of the region, is loom woven on both sides, with authentic patterns, tassel and bead decoration on the borders.
SOCK WEAVING
Socks are woven with five
knitting needles out of wool
thread. They have authentic
patterns, border tassels and
laces. Sometimes they are
woven knee high.
RUG WEAVING
COPPERWORKING
Copper, which is sold in sheets, is cut in appropriate dimensions. Taken from the forge, the copper sheet is shaped
by either the iron or wooden
sledgehammer. The bases of
the copperware were also
handmade in olden days, but
today these are mass produced in factories. The smith
welds the base to his handmade ware like a frame. Copperware production has declined
significantly in recent years.
Rugs, which are flat tapestry
woven carpets or rugs, are
made of wool, as well as goat
hair. They have authentic embroidery and patterns.
CUSHION WEAVING
The wall cushions are placed
on the backside of floor cushions. They are woven on looms, out of woolen thread
that is painted with natural
dye. The embroidery is authentic. The cushions are stuffed with reeds or corn tassel.
traditional culture
131
Traditional Attire
TRADITIONAL
ATTIRE
TRADITIONAL FEMALE
ATTIRE
The 'Canfes' is the traditional
headdress. This is a small and
tight fez (or tarboosh). It can
be red, violet or burgundy color, and has tassels. The tassels are usually black, but can
be colored occasionally. The
top of the 'canfes' is decorated with pearls, with a thin
'Mahmudiye' gold coin in the
center. Gold coins are sewn on
the edges of the fez. These are
called the tepelik (or top)
coins.
The 'Canfes' is covered with
the 'Yazma' which is a traditional Anatolian headscarf.
The 'Yazma' is usually black
and white, and is made from
cotton fabric. It has roses and
flowers drawn upon it. The
front of the fez is open, the
sides and back covers the hair. It can be used straight, or
can be folded into a triangle,
to make the 'Yaflmak' veil.
The 'Üçetek' is a dress that covers the whole body down to
the feet.
The back of the dress is a
single piece, and the front is
two pieces, hence the name
'Üçetek' (three skirts). The
two ends of the collar meet
below the chest. The arms have long and deep slits. The
collars, the skirt, and hems of
the sleeves have tinsel embroidery and stripes.
The 'fialvar', which is a long
and loose kind of trousers,
has embroidery on the waist
and the ankles.
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135
Traditional Attire
The 'Salta' is worn over the
'Üçetek'. It is usually made of
purple or burgundy velvet, or
felt. The length of the 'Salta' is
below the waist, it is not buttoned on the front, its standup collars are around 5 cm.
wide, and it is long sleeved. It
is tinsel embroidered with flower motives. The 'Bohça kufla¤›' (a certain cloth belt) is tied
on the waist, over the 'Üçetek'. There are two types of
belts; the shawl belt and the
'dalabülüz'. The socks worn in
the area are made of wool or
mohair. They can be black,
white, brown, or grey. The colored embroidery on these can
assume various names, like
'civankafl›', 'tavflan izi', 'süt
yüzü', 'melek han›m camdan
salland›', 'kaseli masal›’, and
'Çevre motif. The shoes worn
on the socks are either the
'mes' or the 'edik'.
EMBROIDERIES AND
ACCESSORIES
Gold is the primary material
which the Çorum women prefer in accessories. The 'Saka'
is a cloth band, dressed with
gold coins. It surrounds the
face from under the chin and
is fitted on the two sides of the
fez. The 'Gerdaniye' is a silk
cord or ribbon, dressed with
gold coins in a loose manner,
and is worn like a necklace.
There is also another kind of
necklace, called the 'G›rtlak
gold’ (or throat gold), which is
a crescent with 'Mahmudiye'
gold coins sewn on.
The 'Göbek destesi' (or belly
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bundle) or 'al›ç’ gold is an
apparel which is dressed with
a big coin, accompanied by
smaller coins on both sides, is
fitted on the waist sash.
Among the hairdressing
accessories the 'Saç’ gold
(hair gold) and the 'Zülfiye'
are worth mentioning. The
'Saç’ gold is clipped on the tip
of the braid, via a string or
chain.
The 'Zülfiye' on the other
hand, is a small tube worn
along with silver chains and
beads. The 'Pazvat' is an
empty silver tube which is
sealed on one end and furnished with a cover on the
other, and is used as an
amulet preserver. It has rings
on both sides in order to
attach gold coins. Silver belts
and arm beads are also
apparels the Çorum women
prefer to wear.
TRADITIONAL MALE ATTIRE
Menswear is made of plain or
patterned fabric. These can be
woolen or a mixture of wool
and cotton. Once the 'göynek'
(shirt), 'flalvar' (a kind of long
and very loose trousers) and
'ifllik' (work clothes) are put
on, a waistcoat called 'delme'
is worn over the 'ifllik'. A short
jacket open in front, called the
'libade' is worn over the waistcoat.
The inside of the 'libade' is
made of blue or red felt, and is
lined with either red or burgundy velvet. It is decorated
with yellow tinsel cord at the
sleeves, the tail, the collar,
and the front and back sides.
The leather waist sash is called 'gayret kufla¤›', and its layers are used as pockets to
put the tobacco case, money
purse, knife, comb, etc. in.
Another sash made of silk and
wool is wrapped over the waist of the 'flalvar'.
These are called 'tosya’ kuflak
or 'gürün flal'. Traditionally,
men cover their heads with fez
or the 'poflu'. The socks are
handwoven of wool thread,
and are either plain white,
navy blue, or black.
The traditional footwear is the
'livanl›' and the low boots called 'yemeni'.
The foremost accessory men
use is the fob. It has four chains, a crescent moon and star
decorated buckle, and is placed on the left chest. The other end of the fob ring has beads and is inserted in the
middle of the 'gayret kufla¤›'
sash.
TRADITIONAL
FOLK DANCES
The Çorum dance folklore can
be divided into two subgenres; namely dances of entertainment, and religious dances.
The two basic instruments of
the entertainment genre are
the 'Zurna' shrill pipe, and the
'Davul' drum. The dances are
usually in the 'Halay' form,
which is the predominant dance form of the middle, south,
and southeast Anatolia, and
are accompanied by the 'Türkü' folk songs.
The themes of the dances can
either be nature (the 'Çekirge'
- grasshopper dance), or romance ('Dillala', '‹¤deli gelin'). The Çorum Halay is also a
dance performed regularly for
entertainment purposes. The
main religious dance is the
'Semah'.
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137
Çorum Comfectionary
138
TRADITIONAL
CUISINE
over low heat for a while,
before serving.
Meat and grains are the main
ingredients of the cuisine culture of Çorum. Pastries also
appear in various kinds in the
traditional foods of the city.
DÜ⁄ÜN ÇORBASI (SPECIAL
WEDDING SOUP)
ÇATALAfiI SOUP
It is made of green lentil, wheat and onion. The onions are
sauteed with butter. Water
and mint are added, and it is
heated up to the boiling point
the lentil is added and the soup is boiled for 20 minutes. 3
glasses of hot water and the
wheat are added, and it is boiled for another 20 minutes.
Finally, the soup is cooked
Çorum Çatalafl› Soup
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Yoghurt, strained off its juice,
is mixed with eggs and flour.
Milk, chicken consommé and
warm water are added, and
the mixture is stirred on high
heat until boiling point. In a
different bowl, two eggs are
mixed with enough flour and
kneaded. The dough is cut in
the shape of almonds and fried
in butter. The fried dough pieces are added to the soup, once it is cooked. In a separate
pan, butter is heated with Chili pepper and is poured over
the soup before being served.
‹skilip Dolma
MADIMAK
This is a famous meal that
even has a song dedicated to
its name, and it is regularly
consumed in the central parts
of Turkey. Mad›mak is known
as knotweed, and the food
made using madimak is one of
the oldest known meals of
central Anatolia. Other ingredients are onion, 'Bulgur' (or
cracked wheat), with Pastrami
(dried meat, similar to bacon),
and "Çemen' (or cumin paste)
being optional. The knotweed
is finely chopped. The onions
are fried in butter, and the dried meat is added. Some hot
water is added to the meal. Finally, the knotweed and cracked wheat are added and it is
cooked on low heat.
KEfiKEK
The ingredients are wheat,
meat, and onion. The wheat
must be soaked in water the
night before. The onions and
meat are fried in the pot,
along with red chili and salt, in
butter. One glass of hot water
is added, and it is boiled for 15
minutes. The wheat and 10
glasses of water are added to
the pot. Once the mixture
starts boiling, its lid is closed
and the edges are sealed with
dough. Only an opening, the
size of a finger, is left in order
to let the steam off. It is cooked for two hours on low heat.
‹SK‹L‹P DOLMASI
Stuffed vegetables are a form
of meal that never loses their
popularity, from the Caucasus
to the Balkans. This kind of
meals assumes the name of
'Dolma' in Turkey. The ingredients of the 'Iskilip dolma'
are rice, meat, and onions.
The rice, which is soaked overnight, is fried in butter. Hot
water is added and it is left for
a while. The meat and onion
are fried in a pot, hot water is
added. A trivet is placed inside
the pot, and a tray of appropriate size is placed on top of
the trivet. The cooked rice is
stuffed inside a cloth bag, made of raw fabric. This bag is
placed on the tray. The lid of
the pot is shut, and the edges
of the pot is sealed with dough, with only a small opening
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139
Çorum S›kma Baklava
140
left, just like it is done with
Keflkek. The 'Dolma' is cooked
for four hours on low heat.
ORTALIK
This is made of the ribs of the
lamb. Once the bones are removed, the meat is cut in
small pieces, and fried in
butter.
It is put in a pot and sealed
with a lid; the pot is placed on
ashes with some live coals. No
water should be added.
ÇORUM MANTISI
'Mant›' is the Turkish version
of ravioli. Cut off of a wide flat
dough, enough minced meat
is placed on the pieces and
the pieces are closed.
This is the way the 'Mant›’ are
prepared.
They are placed on a tray, fried on low heat.
A piece of the dough, previously used to prepare the 'Mant›' is rolled out and placed on
top of the fried 'Mant›’.
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A sauce is prepared with tomato paste, butter, and consommé, and is poured over
this dough.
After it is cooked, this dough
is turned upside down. Once
the 'Mant›' is ready, it is cut
with a knife and served.
TEL TEL
This is a variation of a well
known Turkish sweet, called
'Piflmaniye'. Flour is roasted
in butter. Water, sugar, and
either lemon juice or citric acid
are boiled together into a
heavy syrup.
The tray is oiled with butter
and the syrup is spread evenly
all over the tray. Left in a cool
place, the syrup hardens.
Once this is done, the tray is
heated for 2 minutes.
The mixture is rolled off the
tray. Two persons need to soften the mixture by squeezing
it. Once softened, the mixture
is twisted by hand 65 times.
The roasted flour is spread
over the tray.
The mixture is placed inside
this tray and continued to be
pulled and twisted. After it
spills into thin hair like pieces,
the work is finished. It can be
cut and served.
GÜL BURMA
‘Baklava’ dough is prepared
and covered with a wet cloth.
The dough is left there for half
an hour.
Egg shaped pieces are cut off
this dough, starch is sprinkled
over it, and rolled into a round
and thin dough. These are left
on a raw fabric to dry slightly.
Then, they are cut in parallel
lines.
A walnut is placed on each
piece, and the piece is rolled
into a rose-like shape, as it
wraps the walnut.
The pieces are arranged on a
buttered tray, and left to dry
for a day. Hot butter is poured
over them, and they are cooked in an oven. Finally, sugar
syrup is poured over the 'Burma' while it is still hot.
ÇORUM BAKLAVASI / LÜLE
BAKLAVA / SIKMA BAKLAVA / SIYIRMA
The 'Baklava' is a rich, sweet
pastry made of layers of dough filled with chopped nuts
and sweetened with syrup or
honey, and it is very popular in
the whole eastern Mediterranean, the Caucasus, and the
Middle East.
The Çorum version assumes
the names of 'Lüle baklava'
(or ringlet baklava), 'S›kma
baklava' (pressed baklava)
and 'S›y›rma' (or the peeled
baklava). The baklava dough
is rolled into round paper-thin
sheets of dough. The 'Oka'
which is used exclusively for
this type of 'Baklava' is added, and the dough is folded
on both sides. The dough is
compressed on both sides and
the interior is left empty like a
drain pipe.
The pieces are aligned on a
tray and left to dry for one
night. Then, butter and sugar
syrup are poured over them,
and crushed walnut is added
on top.
HASIDA
This dessert is made of molasses, starch, liquid oil and butter. Molasses and starch are
mixed with water. Liquid oil is
heated in a pan.
The mixture is poured over the
hot oil very slowly, and cooked by continuous stirring.
When the mixture starts to
thicken, hot butter is poured
over it and the thick parts are
mashed with a wooden spoon.
It is served cold.
KARAÇUVAL HELVASI
The helva refers to many types
of dense, sweet confections,
served across the Middle East
and the Balkans.
This particular kind involves
molasses, flour, butter, and
sugar.
The flour is roasted in a pan,
until it darkens. Then, butter
is added and the mixture is
worked into a thick cream. Later, molasses, sugar, crushed
walnuts and cold water are mixed and poured over this dough.
When they are mixed thoroughly, egg-sized pieces are
rolled into balls. Coconut is
sprinkled over them.
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Çorum Leblebi (Roosted Chickpeas)
142
LEBLEB‹
(ROASTED
CHICKPEAS)
The 'Leblebi', roasted chickpea, is one of the specialties
of Çorum. 'Leblebi' is the ultimate snack in Turkey, along
with sunflower seeds. Its making is quite troublesome. It
requires woodfire, and the finished 'Leblebi' is sold in
snack shops all over Çorum.
The reason why the Çorum
'Leblebi' is famous is because
of the soil composition of the
area, which is perfect for growing big chickpeas. In Çorum,
'Leblebi' making is a craftsmanship that is handed over
from one generation to the
next. Apart from the traditional methods, today new methods of mass production are
also utilized.
The chickpeas are sifted and
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separated from unwanted elements. They are roasted and
left in sacks for two days. After
two days the same process is
repeated once again. After
they are taken off the sacks,
they are spread in an open
spot. They are left there for 20
days. When this period is over,
they are moisturized and put
into sacks, in which they stay
for another day. After the third
roasting, the chickpeas can be
peeled off their skin. Once this
troublesome labor is over, the
'Leblebi' is flavored with salt,
sugar, spices, etc., and are ready for sale.
An oven for roasting “leblebi”, placed in accordance
with its original location, is
on display with dummies in
the Museum of Çorum.
VERBAL CULTURE
Products of verbal culture is Çorum reflect the deeply-rooted
past of the city. These cultural elements that have survived centuries with new additions appear in folk songs, poems, lullabies, legends, and even in folk dances.
FOLK LITERATURE
Folk Songs
I have read, and written too
I have read, and written, too
Lo you futile world, I have grown tired of you
I have traveled mountains with valley
Is it possible to find the child gone?
As the hand keep writing
Smoke has settled over Gölyaz›
I’ll sacrifice myself
For the sake of the babe in the cradle
Hark, hark
The support of my family is bending
I’ve uncovered the duvet to find
That my Mehmet is dying
A sample for a legend sung in the form of a folk song:
Gazi Pafla His Excellency is a single person
How bravely did he undertake this deed
There is enemy fire from all around
He protected us against our enemy
The folk song titled “‹lvanl›m”, compiled quite recently, is a good example of a lyric folk praise from Çorum.
In local music, the tune generally starts with lower sounds and,
with certain phases, reaches down to the common sound. These downward phases also include temporary stops at fifths, fourths and thirds. Then a new musical phrase gets to the common sound.
Free-rhythmic folk songs from Çorum are generally in the form
of “bozlak”. Although they are not basically different from the
“bozlak” that is sung in K›rflehir, they have an air peculiar to
themselves. “Ya beni de götür ya sen de gitme” and “Malum olsun da sana bak ne haldeyim” are two typical examples for the
“bozlak” from Çorum.
“Tatyan” folk songs, generally found around Erzurum, have also become popular around Çorum as a result of migrations. The
folk song titled “fiu uzun gecenin gecesi olsam” is such a song.
There are also free-rhythmic folk song types that are classified
as “Divan› Garip” and “Kerem”. Around Alaca and Mecitözü,
such folk song types as “koflma” and “nefes”, as well as folk poems are popular.
Folk songs that accompany folk dances, folk dance songs with
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143
the finger cymbal, wooden spoons and trolls, curses, folk poems that center around the whooper, songs for folk dances called “misket”, songs for javelin and wrestling tournaments, as
well as wedding songs constitute the musical background of the
region.
In Çorum, the first scientific folk song compilation task was carried out in 1939. A team that consisted of Nurullah Taflk›ran,
Mahmut Rag›p Gazimihal, Mithat Fennen, Muzaffer Sar›sözen ve
R›za Yetiflen recorded a total of 241 folk songs.
144
‹lvanl›m
These is hail over the rock
‹lvanl›m ‹lvanl›m ‹lvanl›m aman aman
If smells nice down there
In scarlet dress my beauty
We loved one lover only
Refrain
The whole village felt a sudden pain
Refrain
They prune the rosehip ‹lvanl›m
Refrain
So that it won’t give shoots
Refrain
They throw us out of the village, ‹lvanl›m
Refrain
So that we will not love beautiful ones
Refrain
The lovelock is too short to cover the face
Refrain
Love does not die because of distances
Refrain
These eyes have seen you, ‹lvanl›m
Refrain
They no longer look at anyone else
Source: Musa Yenilmez
Compiled By: Sümer Ezgü
fiu Uzun Gecenin Gecesi Olsam / Wish I Were the Night of this
Long Night
I wish I were the night of this long night
I wish I were the chimney of a house in my hometown
(mother, oh dear mother)
They tell me your delicate dear one is very sick
I wish I were the hodja praying beside her bed
(mother, oh dear mother)
Before their house are three plane trees
My tongue catches fire, my heart burns
(mother, oh dear mother)
Is this the way those separated from their beloved ones burn
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Mother, oh dear mother, which one of my troubles should I beat
my breast
Scribes sit, yet do not read the writing
Not everyone forgets mentioning the beloved one (mother, oh
dear mother)
You, the one that fears God not, feels no shame
Have you wiped me off from your heart
(mother, oh dear mother)
Folk Poems
An angel is my beloved one
I’m present in two worlds
Do not feign reluctance my beautiful one
I’m too tired to show patience
Looking from the window
Flowing into me
Rubbed a rose against her cheek
Smells rose as the wind blows
There are rods on her window
She fills water from the river
My dear, give me a peach
From your blood red cheek
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Lovers suit one another
Sweet words come from friends
I’m in deep sorrow
Come and save me from this mourning
A shovel on the hencoop
Still troubled is the heart
You’ve withstood all troubles
Withstand this one too, my heart
The bald boy of the baker
Come to me this evening, you boy
If you don’t come in the evening
Die before the morning, you boy
Look at these accessories and ornaments
A sparkling has fallen into the baggy pants
My lips have dried
Because of begging you, you girl
Hey you, people, hear this
I’ve left my mirror on the wall
The one that is always in my mind
Is by the brook to bring water
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If only I were salt in a dish
If only I were a girl in a big house
As the beloved one goes by the door
If only I were alone
Flame of these mountains
And the snow they should remove
On these sacred days
They should send my beloved one
The mulberry tree yields mulberry
It has few leaves
There sit some enemies
And speak badly about the beloved one
My beloved one, don’t go out when your head is uncovered
The barley product is dark stems
If you really my love
Pack your bundle and set off
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An ewer I placed into the brook
In floated to the bank when it got full
I’ve sent a golden ring
As a trophy to that beloved one
The top of the poplar is a single cluster
Let me throw gold and get roses in return
If this beloved one becomes mine
Let me fast for sixty one days
I stopped at the bottom of the rock
I hunted a couple of pigeons
I pity my youth
I’ve had tuberculosis because of you
Rise from the rocks and come
Flow like a snake and come
I’m not so much lucky
Watch your steps and come
I slide from rocks
I count coins
You villager, you should make my wedding
I love your daughter
The horseman travelling over there
His rug is folded under him
May my parents live long
But my beloved one is the sweetest of all
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My dear carnation, plant me
Place me into your beautiful bundle
Unless I give fruit
Take a pickaxe and unroot me
I am the tower of the castle
I am the Georgian that does not speak the language
On white breasts
I am the pearl that dangles
My partridge walks on stones
Breaks sugars in its mouth
My beloved one is very sensitive
He/She senses deceit from anyone else
I opened my book of poems
I had inspiration once again
The sherbet for separation
The beloved one filled and I drank
Tongs resemble tongs
Corners resemble corners
I’ve recently loved a beloved one
He/She resembles a crystal bottle
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His/Her window has curtains
The apricot has flowered
Don’t you ever blame me, my neighbours
This year I’m in love
My daughter-in-law, my faithless daughter-in-law
Why do you behave so hostile, my daughter-in-law
I hope this golden hair of yours
You fry in my bossom, my daughter-in-law
My beloved one, hops like a partridge
My beloved one, with small embroidery
You looked at me and I fainted
My beloeve one, with dreamy eyes
Lullabies
A lullaby I sang at your cradle
May luck be by you
May enemies dies one by one
Sleep my child sleep
In the sky clouds form a gazelle
It is your beauty that I admire
Hac› Bayram in Ankara
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148
May he come to your protection
May God give you life, sleep
Saying sleep and sleep
I’ve stopped eating
I’m sick, my dear, sick in the heart
May my doctor arrive from the European land
Sleep my dear, sleep
Sleep my dear lamb, sleep
I picked up my needle and string
I traveled Damascus and Alepo
May Elvan Çelebi, resting in peace in Çorum
May he too protect you
May God give you life, sleep
There is the Pleiades in the sky
My lungs are burning and longing
May Molla Hünker in Konya
May he too protect you
May God give you life
The traveler, setting out for his trip
The traveler, setting out for his trip
We put on our cloaks too
Koyunbaba in Osmanc›k
May he too protect you
May God give you life, sleep
Sleep, sleep, and when you sleep
When you father arrives in the evening
And when he says where is my child
And when I place you before him
And when he kisses you and fells full with food
Sleep my child, sleep
Sleep sleep, sleep
May the fox not hear it, sleep
Because if the fox hears, my child
Eats up you and me
Sleep my child sleep
May you grow as tall as a poplar, sleep
May you grows branches like a willow, sleep
May you spend rightly earned goods, sleep
Sleep my child, sleep
The above example is a typical lullaby, where the mother wishes many good things for her child, like great fortune, favor of the
saints, a long life, children, and lawful earnings.
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Riddles
Has one part that is more bent than a bow
Has one part that is more straight than a needle
Has one part that is darker than a cauldron
Has one part that is whiter than milk.
Answer: Stork
While the horse stops, the Arab rides
Answer: Trivet, Cauldron
I threw from behind with full speed
Together with seven thousand stars
With the horse of the Arab, with the strength that God gives.
Answer: Lightning
I started from the corner
Call for Fatma for me
Hey girl, where did you learn
How to bend your arm and dance so vividly.
Answer: Broom, to sweep
We have a woman
Her legs are bent and broken
Come to us and you’ll see
You’ll die laughing
Answer: Frog
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A very small red pillow
We placed flour into it
Answer: Oleaster
They sit together, walk by in twos
Two of them, loving one another
Loving one another nor
Answer: Ground and the skies; day and night; water and earth;
water and fire
VILLAGE PLAYS
THE CAMEL PLAY
As in other parts of Anatolia, these village games have also disappeared in Çorum. The most frequently seen game used to be
the Camel game. The camel master who holds the bridle directs
the game. The players are two priests, one village official, and a
'Köçek' (who is a handsome young male dancer, usually crossdressed in feminine attire). The game starts with the announcement by the players that they heard of a wedding and came to
join. Their purpose is to walk around the village, to invite the villagers to the wedding and provide entertainment All players extraditional culture
cept the 'Köçek' are bearded and wear black. The camel master
is riding a donkey, and holds the bridle of the camel. The 'Köçek' is the daughter of the camel master. The priests' job is to
protect the girl from the audience’s harassment and possible
kidnapping attempts. But the priests also try to kidnap the girl
whenever they have the opportunity. They fight each other over
the girl, hitting each other and other kidnappers with their
sticks. Meanwhile, the 'Köçek' dances and entertains the villagers. The village official tries to help and guide them. In this
manner, the camel walks all around the village. In some spots
the camel is seated and the 'Kocek' dances. At the village fountain the camel drinks water. Meanwhile, the villagers walk behind the camel. Finally, the crowd follows the camel to the grain threshing barns, and the entertainment goes on there.
CHAIR WRESTLING
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This game belongs solely to Çorum, it is neither observed in any
place in Anatolia, nor has any reference to its existence been found in the sources. The village wrestler faces his opponent,
which is a chair, and starts wrestling with the chair. Wrestlers
who perform this act demonstrate all their wrestling skills and
try to force their chair opponent to submit. Meanwhile, the shrill
pipe and the drum play lively tunes. Finally, after great hardship, the chair submits to the wrestler, and the wrestler is announced champion.
Other Village Plays
Hac› Baba, K›fl Yar›s›, Topal K›z, Elekçi, Yay›k, Kalayc›, Arap, Kartal, Tosba¤a, Ay›, Hasan Baba, Davar›n Yüzü, Kalburcu, Tilki, Kelo¤lan, Soku, Eminem, Çiftçi, etc.
RUMOURS
A RUMOUR ABOUT ÇORUM
According to the rumour, Yakup Mirza, the son of the Seljuk Sultan K›l›çarslan, falls gravely ill. Wise healers say "send him to
Çorum, its water and air will do him good". Indeed, Yakup Mirza recovers after a few months’ stay there. Upon that, the Sultan starts sending all the sick (those who have 'Cor', 'Cor' being
an old word for sickness) to this place. Hence, the city is named
Çorum. This rumour is included in Evliya Çelebi's Book of Travels.
THE KOYUNBABA RUMOUR
The real name of 'Koyunbaba' is Seyid Ali. It is claimed that he
comes from the prophet's lineage. While he is shepherding in
Bursa, he makes a deal with the local A¤a (who is a kind of feudal landlord) to buy every lamb out of two. After some time he
ends up with 40 lambs. Taking these with him, he goes and settles in Osmancik. Because he bleated once a day, he was named
traditional culture
'Koyunbaba' (father sheep). 'Koyunbaba' is held as a local saint, and there are many rumours about him. One of them goes like this: Koyunbaba has three dogs. He has named them Black
'Kad›', Yellow 'Kad›', and Red 'Kad›' (Kadi - or qadi - is an old Islamic judge; although few are held in high honor, they are generally famous for their unjust verdicts). When the qadi of Baghdad is passing through Osmancik, he hears about this and
complains to the Sultan. The Sultan sends for Koyunbaba, and
asks him why he named his dogs in this manner.
Koyunbaba replies "The qadi's don't know the difference between haram and halal (things the Islamic law prohibits and allows), but my dogs do. Why don't we try out" Upon the Sultan's
agreement, Koyunbaba orders 20 halal meals and 20 haram meals to be brought. Once the meals are served, the dogs eat all
the halal food, but don't touch the haram ones. The Sultan is
amazed with this, and says that he wants to reward Koyunbaba.
Koyunbaba replies that he doesn't want any treasures, but he
wants the villages of Sarialan and Saltukalan granted to his
dogs. His wish is fulfilled. Koyunbaba gives a quick stare to the
qadi who complained about him, and the man dies.
A RUMOUR CONCERNING THE KOYUNBABA BRIDGE
When Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror was heading towards Otlukbeli, to fight his arch enemy, the Akkoyunlu sultan Tall Hasan, he
visits Koyunbaba in order to have his blessing. He defeats Tall Hasan in the battle. On his way back, he sends his vizier to Koyunbaba, to ask if there's anything he can do for him.
Koyunbaba replies "If he wants to do a charity, a bridge is needed
over K›z›l›rmak river (the river Halys), he can build one. Besides, if
he frees our shelters and pastures, and sheep from taxes, we can
extend better hospitability to our guests."
His wishes are granted. But before he can build the bridge, Mehmet the Conqueror dies. Hearing the grave news, his son Bayezid
sets off from Amasya to Istanbul. When he arrives in Osmanc›k, he
sees Koyunbaba with his flock. He asks Koyunbaba to take him to
the other side. Koyunbaba says "I'll do it, only if you build a bridge over this river". The Prince promises that he will do it. Koyunbaba instructs Bayezid to close his eyes, and not to open them unless being told. He obeys. When he opens his eyes, he's in Istanbul. Koyunbaba has vanished. After the Prince is crowned as Bayezid II, he dreams of Koyunbaba. Koyunbaba asks him to fulfill his
promise. The following night he has the same dream. Hence, a
construction party, with masons, workers, and all the necessary
equipment is assembled and sent to Osmanc›k. It is said that Koyunbaba carried stones on deers to the construction site. As the
construction work went on, one of the dervishes (dervish being a
Sufi Muslim ascetic) questions Koyunbaba asks where he would
like to be buried when he dies. He says "wherever this stone falls
down", and throws a heavy stone. When Koyunbaba dies, Bayezid
II buries him in the exact spot and erects a tomb.
traditional culture
151
LEGENDS
Legends which still go on are one of the elements in the
oral literature of Çorum. Impressive events and happenings are the subjects of tales. An example is the legend
of Necip.
Necip, a young man, is about to set off for military service, and he asks his best friend to help and protect his
wife. His friend gives an oath to it. After Necip is gone,
his friend visits his wife frequently, and tries to fulfill all
of the woman's needs. But he never sees her face.
But in one instance he sees her hand, and falls in love
with the woman. He writes to Necip, blemishes the woman and makes him divorce her. Afterwards, with many
trickery and cheating, he manages to marry her himself.
After Necip is back from the military service, he learns
the truth and falls ill with grief. He says that he wants to
see his wife before he dies. The woman is out of sorts
with him, because Necip never gave her a chance to
explain.
They share the following conversation:
152
Necip:
My dear beloved one has come to me,
This has healed me, my body,
Show mercy, my beloved one, do not let me die,
Necip is devoted to you, his life is devoted, I tell you, you keep silent.
The Woman:
My life has withdrawn, my load is packed,
My troubles are worse than ever,
Show mercy, my beloved one, this is enough,
I’m angry with you and won’t make up in this world
The conversation goes on in the same manner. Finally,
Necip dies. The woman falls into despair and dies shortly after Necip. This event and their conversation become
the subject of a tale.
traditional culture
CHRONOLOGY
6000 BC – 3000
3000 BC – 1200
1900 BC – 1800 BC
1650 BC – 1400 BC
1400 BC – 1180 BC
1200 BC – 1180 BC
1180 BC – 750 BC
750 BC – 300 BC
700 BC – 680 BC
600 BC
334 BC – 30 BC
1 BC – 395 AD
395 - 1075
1075
1175
1344
1398
1800
1824
1841
1864
1894
1924
BC Chalcolithic Age (Copper Age)
BC Bronze Age: This was the most important period in the history of Çorum.
Alacahöyük was the most important settlement of the age. The Hattians emerged as
the first indigenous people of Anatolia, with
Alacahöyük as the center of the flourishing
autochthonous Hattian culture.
Assyrian Trade Colonies
The Old Hittite Kingdom
The Great Hittite Empire
The collapse of the Hittites and the fall of
Hattusa
Iron Age (the Anatolian dark ages)
The Phrygian Kingdom
Destruction of the Phrygians by the
Cimmerians
Persian invasion of Anatolia
The Hellenistic Period (in the early 3rd cen
tury BC, the Galatians arrived in Çorum and
its surrounding region from the Central
Europe. Tavium became the centre for the
Trokmu tribe)
Roman Empire
Byzantine Rule
The Danishmend gained control in Çorum
Çorum was conquered by the Anatolian
Seljuk State.
Çorum was occupied by the Eretna Khanate.
Çorum was conquered by the Ottomans.
Earthquake
Earthquake
Çorum, under the management of the City
of Sivas until then, was placed under the
management of the City of Ankara.
Çorum became a sub-district of Yozgat.
Çorum became a district centre under the
management of Ankara.
Çorum became a city.
Chronology
153
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Acun, H. (1994). Anadolu Saat Kuleleri.
Ankara: Atatürk Kültür Merkezi Y.
Akurgal, E. (1998). Anadolu Kültür Tarihi. Ankara: Tübitak Y.
Alp, S. (2001). Hititler Ça¤›nda Anadolu: Çiviyaz›l› ve hieroglyph
yaz›l› kaynaklar. ‹stanbul: Tübitak Y.
Alp, S. (1999). Hititlerde fiark›, Müzik ve Dans, Hitit Ça¤›nda
Anadolu’da Üzüm ve fiarap. Ankara: Kavakl›dere Kültür Y.
Alp, S. (1996). Hititlerin Mektuplaflmalar›. ‹stanbul: Türk
Eskiça¤ Bilimleri Enstitüsü Y.
Çorum ‹l Y›ll›¤› (2003)
Darga, M. (1992). Hitit Sanat›. ‹stanbul: Akbank Y.
Dündar, A. (2004). Çorum Camii ve Mescitleri. Ankara: Motif Y.
Eyice. S. (1969). Çorum’un Mecidözü’nde Afl›k Paflao¤lu Elvan
Pafla Zaviyesi. Türkiyat Mecmuas› XV’den Ayr› Bas›m. ‹stanbul:
Edebiyat Fak. Y.
Il›ca. A. (2006). Çorum Ulu Camii ve Vak›flar›. Ankara: Çorum
154
Belediyesi Y.
Macqueen, J. G. (2001). Hititler ve Hititler Ça¤›’nda Anadolu
(Çev. E. Davuto¤lu). Ankara: Arkadafl Kitabevi.
O¤uz, M.Ö. ve Ifl›khan, Page (2006). Çorum’da Geleneksel
Kutlamalar. Ankara: Hitit Üniversitesi Y.
O¤uz, M.Ö. ve Metin, E. (2006). Çorum’da Geleneksel
Meslekler. Ankara: Hitit Üniversitesi Y.
Seeher, J. (2007). Hattufla Kerpiç Kent Suru. ‹stanbul: Ege Y.
Seeher, J. (1999). Hattufla Rehberi. ‹stanbul: Ege Y.
Sözen. M. (1970). Hac› Hamza’daki Türk Eserleri. ‹stanbul
Strabon. (1991). Co¤rafya Anadolu (Kitap: XII, XIII, XIV).
(Çev. A. Pekman). ‹stanbul: Arkeoloji ve Sanat Y.
Umar, B. (1993). Türkiye’deki Tarihsel Adlar.
‹stanbul: ‹nkilâp Kitabevi.
Ünal, A. (2002). Hititler Devrinde Anadolu.
‹stanbul: Arkeoloji Sanat Y.
Ünal, A. (2003). Hititler Devrinde Anadolu II.
‹stanbul: Arkeoloji Sanat Y.
Ünal, A. (2005). Hititler Devrinde Anadolu III.
‹stanbul: Arkeoloji Sanat Y.
Bibliography
USEFUL
INFORMATION
GENERAL INFORMATION
AREA AND POPULATION
The surface area of the city is 12.820 km2.
Last recorded population of the city is 540.704.
EMERGENCY NUMBERS
Ambulance
Police
Gendarme
Fire
112
155
156
110
AVERAGE HIGHEST TEMPERATURES
Jan
17.5
Feb
Mar Apr
20.4 26.4 30.4
May
June July Agu Sept Oct Nov
33.5 37.5 42.6 39.8 38.7 33.0 24.7
Dec
19.2
AVERAGE LOWEST TEMPERATURES
Jan
Feb
-6.6 -6.8
Mar Apr
-5.0
-2.4
May
2.7
June July Agu Sept Oct Nov
9.0 13.6 14.0 7.0
1.5
-3.4
The temperatures are ºC.
156
OFFICIAL INFORMATION
GOVERNORSHIP
Çorum Governorship
T. +90 364 213 84 18 – 213 10 01
F. +90 364 213 12 29
www.corum.gov.tr
PROVINCIAL DIRECTORATE OF CULTURE AND TOURISM
Çorum Provincial Directorate of Culture And Tourism
Gazi Cad. New Government Building Additional Building
C Blok Kat: 8 Çorum
T. +90 364 213 47 04 – 213 77 17 – 213 47 04
F. +90 364 212 05 10
www.corumkulturturizm.gov.tr
MUNICIPALITY
Çorum Municipality
Yeniyol Mah. Gazi Cad. No:2Çorum
T. +90 364 364 225 08 10
www.corum.bel.tr
POLICE STATION
Çepni Mah. ‹nönü Cad.No: 1 Çorum
T. +90 364 224 10 09
F. +90 364 224 94 40
www.corum.pol.tr
useful information
Dec
-3.4
ÇORUM H‹T‹T UNIVERSITY
Osmanc›k Highway
Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi Kampüsü Çorum
T. +90 364 219 19 19
F. +90 364 219 19 38
www.hitit.edu.tr
TRAVEL TO ÇORUM
PROVINCIAL DIRECTORATE OF CULTURE AND TOURISM
TOURISM INFORMATION
Valilik Binas› C Blok Kat: 8 Çorum
T. +90 364 213 85 02 – 213 47 04 – 213 77 17
F. +90 364 212 0510
TRANSPORTATION
DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORTATION
AMASYA MERZ‹FON AIRPORT
PK 44 Merzifon Amasya
T. +90 358 535 10 16
F. +90 358 535 10 76
157
BUS TERMINAL
Çorum Otobüs Terminali
T. +90 364 213 66 70
L‹DER TUR‹ZM
Çepni Mah. Yeni Sanayi Cad. No: 5 / B Çorum
T. +90 364 225 07 75 – 76 / 444 00 19
METRO TUR‹ZM
Çorum Otogar
T. +90 364 225 49 49 – 224 28 40
www.metroturizm.com.tr
HATTUSAS TUR‹ZM
Belediye Otogar› No: 6 Çorum
T. +90 364 224 44 44
CAR RENTAL
GÜRSESLER OTOMOT‹V
‹nönü Cad. No: 79 Çorum
T. +90 364 225 45 72
ANATOL‹A RENT A CAR
Ulukavak Mah. Ulukavak 1. Sok. Arif Özkömürcü ‹fl han›
No:7/7 Çorum
T. +90 364 226 66 76
useful information
TRAVEL AGENCIES
AGM TUR‹ZM TRAVEL AGENCY
Üçtutlar Mah. Cami Kebir Sok. No:6
Çorum
T. +90 364 225 74 17
F. +90 364 225 74 19
AN‹fi TUR‹ZM TRAVEL AGENCY
Gazi Cad. No: 22 Kat:3 / 16
Çorum
T. +90 364 212 26 83
F. +90 364 224 15 76
AY-B‹KE TRAVEL AGENCY
Çöplü Mah. Osmanc›k Cad. Across Ulu Mosque
No: 17/1 Çorum
T. +90 364 224 80 91
F. +90 364 224 35 83
ÇAVUfiO⁄LU TRAVEL AGENCY
158
Gazi Cad. No: 22 K: 3/20
City Center Çorum
T. +90 364 224 39 28
F. +90 364 224 56 89
ENN TUR‹ZM TRAVEL AGENCY
Üçtutlar Mah. Alaybey Sok. No: 15/B
Çorum
T. +90 364 213 22 19
F. +90 364 213 20 96
‹NTEGRAL TUR‹ZM TRAVEL AGENCY
Çepni Mah. Emniyet Sokak
Benderli ‹fl Merkezi No:2-8 City Center
Çorum
T. +90 364 224 94 88
F. +90 364 225 49 33
M‹TODEN TUR‹ZM TRAVEL AGENCY
Bahçelievler Mah. Bahabey Cad. No:3/B
City Center – Çorum
T. +90 364 221 20 21
F. +90 364 221 03 23
SAYGI TUR‹ZM TRAVEL AGENCY
Karakeçili Mah. Albayrak Cad. Küçükpark ‹flmerkezi
No: 1/5 Çorum
T. & F. +90 364 224 87 77 - 79
useful information
HOTELS
CITY CENTER
AN‹TTA HOTEL
*****
‹nönü Cad. No: 80 Çorum
T. +90 364 213 85 15-16-17
F. +90 364 212 06 13
www.anittahotel.com
ROOM 240 BED 496
t@
DALGIÇLAR HOTEL
****
Bahabey Cad. No:15 City Center Çorum
T. +90 364 223 09 09
F. +90 364 223 09 19
ROOM 44 BED 98
t@
ÇORUM BÜYÜK HOTEL
***
Çepni Mah. Ankara Cad. No: 90 Çorum
T. +90 364 224 60 92-93
F. +90 364 224 60 94
www.corumbuyukhotel.com
ROOM 46 BED 96
159
@
OTEL P‹THANA
**
Gülabibey Mah. Nurettinbey Cad. No: 1/6 Çorum
T. +90 364 224 36 61
F. +90 364 213 16 48
ROOM 30 BED 63
@
HOTEL KOLA⁄ASI
**
‹nönü Cad. No: 97 Çorum
T. +90 364 213 54 51
F. +90 364 224 15 56
ROOM 45 BED 62
TERMAL PENEZ HOTEL
Samsun highway 2nd km S›kl›k Mah.
Çorum
T. +90 364 227 77 64
F. +90 364 227 77 68
useful information
fi‹R‹N OTEL
Çepni Mah. ‹nönü Cad. No: 7/1 Çorum
T. +90 364 225 56 55
F. +90 364 224 91 56
ROOM 17 BED 33
REAL RES‹DANCE HOTEL
Çepni Mah. ‹nönü Cad. No: 62
Çorum
T. +90 364 225 73 33
F. +90 364 225 73 37
ROOM 42 BED 80
GRAND PARK OTEL
Çepni Mah. ‹nönü Cad. No: 60 Çorum
T. +90 364 212 30 44
F. +90 364 225 41 31
ROOM 40 BED 60
ALACA
HOTEL ACAR
160
Y›ld›zhan Mah. Zile Cad. No: 15 Alaca Çorum
T. +90 364 411 38 90
F. +90 364 411 72 06
ROOM 10 BED 20
BO⁄AZKALE
AfiIKO⁄LU OTEL
**
Köyiçi Mevkii Çarfl› Mah. No:24 Bo¤azkale Çorum
T. +90 364 452 20 04
F. +90 364 452 21 71
www.hattusas.com
ROOM 42 BED 105
BAfiKENT HOTEL
Yaz›l›kaya Yolu üzeri Hattusas Mah. Bo¤azkale Çorum
T. +90 364 452 20 37
F. +90 364 452 25 67
ROOM 20 BED 40
www.baskenthattusa.com
BAYKAL HOTEL (HATTUSAS PANSION)
Çarfl› Mah. Cumhuriyet Meydan› No:22 Bo¤azkale Çorum
T. +90 364 452 20 13
F. +90 364 452 29 57
ROOM : 14 BED: 30
www.hotelbaykal.com
useful information
KALE HOTEL
Yaz›l›kaya Yolu üzeri Hattusas Mah. No:47/A Bo¤azkale
Çorum
T. +90 364 452 21 89
ROOM: 11 BED: 25
www.bogazkoyhattusa.com
OSMANCIK
ASYA MOTEL VE D‹NLENME TES‹SLER‹
Gürleyik Mah. Uzunkavak Osmanc›k
Çorum
T. +90 364 611 30 85
ROOM:12 BED:24
www.asyatesisleri.com.tr
SUNGURLU
CLUB MAV‹ OCAK MOTEL & RESTAURANT
***
Samsun Highway 5th km Sungurlu
Çorum
T. +90 364 313 00 33
F. +90 364 313 00 34
ROOM 40 BED 80
www.maviocak.com.tr
161
@
HOTEL FERHAT
Sunguro¤lu Mah. Cengiz Topel Cad. No: 24 Sungurlu
Çorum
T. +90 364 311 38 88
ROOM 17 BED 30
RESTAURANTS & CAFES
BÜYÜK VAD‹ RESTAURANT
Samsun Highway 3th km S›kl›k Mevkii
Çorum
T. +90 364 227 35 35
F. +90 364 227 35 36
Turkish-Traditional Cuisine
C 08:00-02:00
k d
GÜLERYÜZ RESTAURANT
Samsun Highway 5th km Çorum
T. +90 364 226 00 31
F. +90 364 226 77 79
Turkish Cuisine
C 12:00-24:00
useful information
HANCILAR ET LOKANTASI
Samsun Highway 12th km
Çorum
T. +90364 245 91 91 – 245 92 54
F. 90 364 245 91 36
Turkish Cuisine
C 08:30-22:00
k
KAT‹PLER KONA⁄I
Karakeçili Mah. 2. Sokak No: 20
Çorum
T. +90 364 224 96 51
F. +90 364 213 99 78
Traditional Cuisine
C 09:00-23:00
kd
ÖZBEYLER PARK ‹SKENDER
162
Gazi Cad. No:42/E
Çorum
T. +90 364 213 19 85
Turkish Cuisine
C 12:00-22:00
k
‹K‹NC‹ BAHAR OCAKBAfiI
KEBAP VE P‹DE SALONU
Kavukçu Sok. No:7
Çorum
T. +90 364 224 85 35
F. +90 364 212 14 64
Turkish Cuisine
C 07:00-22:00
k
BAKTAT D‹NLENME TES‹SLER‹
Ankara Highway 4th km Sungurlu
Çorum
T. +90 364 311 47 64
F. +90 364 311 86 14
SYMBOLS
HASAN ZAH‹R ET LOKANTASI
Samsun Highway 7th km
Çorum
T. +90 364 227 35 54
F. +90 364 226 00 20
Turkish Cuisine
C 08:00-22:30
useful information
h Pool
t Meeting Room
@ ‹nternet
Cuisine
C Opening Hours
Alcholic Drinks
k Credit Card
d Outdoor Seating
m Live Music
MEDICAL SERVICES
HOSPITALS
ÇORUM STATE HOSPITAL
Çorum State Hospital Çorum
T. +90 364 223 03 00
www.corumdevlethastanesi.gov.tr
ÇORUM PRIVATE HOSPITAL
Buhara Evler Mah.
Buhara 1. Sokak No: 2 Çorum
T. +90 364 444 15 20
www.corumozelhastanesi.com.tr
ÇORUM PRIVATE ELITE PARK HOSPITAL
Bahçelievler Mah. Dumlup›nar 7. Sokak
No:1 Çorum
T. +90 364 221 6666
www.elitpark.com.tr
DAILY LIFE
163
BANKS
AKBANK
Yavruturna Mah. Bahabey Cad. No: 34/A-B Çorum
T. +90 364 225 40 79
F. +90 364 224 71 06
DEN‹ZBANK
Gazi Cad. No: 20 Çorum
T. +90 364 224 85 71
F. +90 364 212 77 51
GARANT‹ BANKASI
‹nk›lap Cad. No: 69 Çorum
T. +90 364 212 22 79
F. +90 364 212 35 76
‹fi BANKASI
‹nönü Cad. No: 8 Çorum
T. +90 364 213 69 80
F. +90 364 224 27 40
VAKIFBANK
‹nönü Caddesi No: 58 Çorum
T. +90 364 225 40 22
F. +90 364 225 40 21
useful information
Z‹RAAT BANKASI
Çepni Mah. Osmanc›k Cad.
No: 9 Çorum
T. +90 364 225 40 22
F. +90 364 225 40 21
CARGO SERVICES
ARAS CARGO
Mimar Sinan Mah. Küçük Sanayi Sitesi Sanayi Cad.
No:19/A Hitit Çorum
T. +90 364 234 45 36-37
www.arascargo.com
MNG CARGO
Çepni Mah. H›d›rl›k Cad.
No: 11 Çepni Çorum
T. +90 364 224 08 67
www.mngkargo.com.tr
SÜRAT CARGO
164
Karakeçili Mah. 14. Sokak
No: 2/B Çorum
T. +90 364 213 26 64
www.suratkargo.com.tr
YURT‹Ç‹ CARGO
Çepni Mah. Taflan Cad.
No: 67/A Çorum
T. +90 364 212 19 93
www.yurticikargo.com.tr
EXCHANGE OFFICES
AHLATÇI DÖV‹Z VE ALTIN TAfi.
City Center Çorum
T. +90 364 224 76 28
www.ahlatci.com.tr
fiAMLIO⁄LU DÖV‹Z-ALTIN
E¤ridere Çarfl›s› No:13 City Center
Çorum
T. +90 364 225 20 25
www.samlioglu.com.tr
H‹T‹TGOLD
E¤ridere Çarfl›s› No:23 City Center Çorum
T. +90 364 225 38 51
www.hititgroup.com.tr
useful information
CULTURE & ART CENTERS
THEATRES
ÇORUM BÖLGE T‹YATROSU
Bahçelievler 2. Cd. No: 6
Çorum
T. +90 364 221 86 90
ÇORUM DEVLET T‹YATRO SALONU (STATE THEATRE)
Karakeçili Mah. Hamit Kaplan Cad.
Turhan K›l›çc›o¤lu Stad› Karfl›s› Çorum
T. +90 364 213 33 43
CINEMAS
ÖZDO⁄ANLAR
Bahabey Cad. Özdo¤anlar Sitesi
City Center Çorum
T. +90 364 221 39 04
S‹NEMA MB
Üçdutlar Mah. City Center Çorum
T. +90 364 227 67 00
165
FESTIVALS
INTERNATIONAL ÇORUM H‹T‹T EXHIBITION AND FESTIVAL
Çorum International Hittite Exhibition and Festival is effectuated each year during the month of July since the year 1981. The
purpose of this event is to introduce the Hittite civilization,
which has a very important role in the history of civilization, to
larger audiences, domestically and internationally and to share
the World Culture Heritage.
NÖBET‹ BABA RAIN (GRATITUDE) PRAYER UNITY AND
FORGIVING EVENTS
Place: Bo¤azkale
Date: May 2nd week
Organization: Evci Municipality
T. +90 364 456 21 47 - 456 20 85
F. +90 364 456 20 85
BO⁄AZKALE HATTUfiA TOURISM AND CULTURE EVENTS
Place: Bo¤azkale
Date: August
Organization: Bo¤azkale Municipality
T. +90 364 452 28 30
F. +90 364 452 20 25
bo¤azkalebelediyesi@hotmail.com
useful information
KARAKUCAK AND WRESTLING
Place: Sungurlu
Date: September.
Organiation: Sungurlu Municipality
T. +90 364 311 72 60
F. +90 364 311 45 14
pardisyon@hotmail.com
KARGI FAIR
Place: Karg›
Date: October - November
Organization: Karg› Municipality
T. +90 364 651 28 93
F. +90 364 651 20 08
kargibelediyesi@kargi.bel.tr
MEMORIAL DAYS FOR KOYUNBABA AND RICE FESTIVAL
Place: Osmanc›k
Date: November
Organization: Osmanc›k Municipality
T. +90 364 611 43 23
F. +90 364 611 45 82
sosyal@osmanc›k.bel.tr
166
YAYLA FESTIVAL
Place: U¤urluda¤
Date: August
Organization: U¤urluda¤ Municipality
TOURISM ACTIVITIES
MUSEUMS
ÇORUM MUSEUM
Gülabibey Mah.
Cengiz Topel Cad. Çorum
T. +90 364 213 15 68
T. & F. +90 364 224 30 25
Everyday except Monday 08:00-17:00
www.corummuzesi.org.tr
BO⁄AZKÖY MUSEUM
T. +90364 452 20 06
Everyday except Monday 08:00-17:00
Tourism Season 09:00-18:00
ALACAHÖYÜK MUSEUM
T. +90 364 422 70 11
Everyday except Monday 08:00-17:00
Tourism Season 09:00-18:00
useful information
THERMAL SPRINGS
MEC‹TÖZÜ, BEKE (F‹GAN‹) THERMAL SPRING
It is believed that the thermal spring, coming out of the small
spring and filled into the main pool, close to the Figani Village,
is healing many illnesses.
HAMAMLIÇAY VILLAGE THERMAL SPRING
It is in the Hamaml›çay Village, with a 12 km distance to the center. The water temperature is 42ºC; and it is helpful to rheumatism, skin illnesses and removal of kidney stones.
GEOTHERMAL SOURCES
Source
Temperature0C
Flow(l/s)
Mecitözü/Figani
37
20
Thermal S.
Hamamlݍay
30
7
Thermal S.
Usage
RAFTING
‹NCESU CANYON
The canyon, located in ‹ncesu Village, is 12.5 km long and has a
width of 40-60 m. Both sloped of the hill is composed of sharp
rocks; it has one entrance and one exit. ‹ncesu canyon is ideal
course for trekking and rafting.
TREKKING
ÇATAK NATURAL PARK
Çorum-Laçin-Osmanc›k
Following the main road and turning left after 4km., and following the village road to Hamaml›çay-Ayaz and Çatak, after 18 km
Çatak Natural Park is reached. First course: Starts form the
road separation leading to Çalyayla Village and ends in Alagöz
plateau. This course is composed of 7 km. Second phase:
Starting from the Alagöz Plateau, having walked 3kms and turning our direction towards the Çatak Nature Park and having
walked 2 more kilometers, it ends in Çatak Nature Park
Excursion Spot. The whole of the course is 12 km long.
‹ncesu Canyon
useful information
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CAMPING
KARGI PLATEAU (E⁄‹NÖNÜ)
The plateau, which is located
in a high mountain area, has a
140 km distance to Çorum and
26 km to Karg›.
ABDULLAH PLATEAU
It is located in the Karg›
District and on top of the
Köse Mountain (2050 m),
which is the highest mountain in the region. The distance to
Çorum is 114 km, and 26 km to center of District. It is in a 12
km distance to the main highway, which connects Istanbul to
Samsun, and which passes through the Osmanc›k district.
BAYAT KUNDUZLU AND KUfiCAÇ‹MEN‹ PLATEAU
It is located within Çorum Province Bayat District borders and
sited in the mountain area, towards the north of the province.
It is located 100km to the Center of Province and 25km to the
Center of district.
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‹SK‹L‹P PLATEAU
In the North of the ‹skilip District, many plateaus take place,
which are connected to each other and which are covered with
the flora, composed of scotch pine, black pine, fir, oak trees
The Elmabeli-Befloluk and Çiçekli plateaus, amongst these, are
very popular in terms of tourism, which are reached by following the same direction, and taking a felt turn after 8km, and
continuing a distance about 17 km, and you will be reaching
the Demirbükü and Yalak plateau for picnic and recreational
activities.
OSMANCIK PLATEAU
Having a distance of 8km to Baflp›nar area, its infrastructural
construction has been completed to a great extent. Tents are
available for accommodation.
ÇATAK NATURE AND NATIONAL PARK
It is at a distance of 22 km to Çorum Center of District,
camping is possible.
useful information
NOTES
NOTES