Konya-Karahöyük excavations reveal Turkey's rich cultural heritage dating back to 3000 BC

Karahöyük is a mound located approximately 7 km southwest of the city centre of Konya, within the borders of Konya province. The settlement on the mound reaches a width of 1,000 x 500 meters. Although the first archaeological excavations were conducted in 1953 under the direction of Prof. Dr Sedat Alp, they are among the first scientific excavations in the history of Turkey.

The excavation works revealed that the main soil layer was reached at a depth of 29 meters, indicating a thick fill layer beneath it. Before the start of the excavations at Karahöyük, we had very little information about the Hittite Age (Middle Bronze Age) and earlier Early Bronze Age in the Konya region. Through systematic research conducted during the Karahöyük excavations, an important region of Ancient Anatolia has been brought to light for science.

Today, Karahöyük has become one of the most important centres of Ancient Anatolia. As a result of the research conducted, 27 historical layers have been identified in Karahöyük. The history of settlement in Karahöyük dates back to 3000 BC – 2000 BC, a period when the Assyrian colonies traded with Anatolia and the early Bronze Age. Therefore, Karahöyük was one of the most important trade centres of the time. It was also a trading centre for the Phoenicians, who held the trade of all Mediterranean coasts and traded into the heart of Anatolia. Within the mound circle, the foundations and wall traces of a series of trading houses or shops demonstrate the traces of the commercial life of that period.

The most important findings in the Karahöyük excavations are the seals made of baked clay with imprints on them. These artefacts are exhibited today at the Konya Archaeological Museum. The seals and the clay vessels on which they were impressed to demonstrate that writing had already begun in the early periods of Anatolia. This also indicates the extent of trade and cultural interactions of the Karahöyük people in those periods. The cultural assets found in Konya Karahöyük have revealed that it was a centre of a great civilization in the Hitite and pre-Hitite periods.

In addition to a Hittite palace with rich seal collections, a large and impressive city wall has been discovered outside the Karahöyük mound. This structure, which includes guard rooms, front walls, and towers, is of great importance as the oldest Hitite city wall in Anatolia and undoubtedly represents the most advanced defence facility of its time.