Karatepe-Aslantaş is situated on the border of Kadirli District in Osmaniye Province. It was constructed in the 8th century BC during the Late Hittite Age by Asativatas, who introduced himself as the ruler of Adana Plain. Originally established as a border fortress to protect against the incursions of the northern tribes, the fortress was named Asativadaya. To the west of the castle is a caravan road that passes from the southern plains to the Central Anatolian plateau. To the east is the Ceyhan River (Pyramos), and today is the Aslantaş dam lake. The Hittite Empire, which dominated Anatolia in the 2nd millennium BC, disintegrated and dispersed in 1200 BC. Some kingdoms were established in Malatya, Sakçagözü, Maraş, Kargamış and Zincirli in the region dominated by the Hittites. These were subsequently destroyed and looted by the Assyrians at various stages. The reign of Asativatas coincides with this period. It is likely that the fortress was destroyed and subsequently abandoned by the Assyrians, either by Salmanasar V around 720 BC or by Asarhaddon around 680 BC. Asativadaya continues to fascinate modern people from thousands of years ago, with its monumental gates equipped with high towers, the sanctuary, the tall statue of the Storm God on a double bull pedestal, the reliefs of lions and sphinxes carved on basalt blocks on the inner walls of the gate buildings, relief scenes and inscriptions displaying the beliefs and life of the day. The bilingual inscription discovered at Karatepe, written in Phoenician and Luwian hieroglyphic writing systems, enabled the decipherment of hieroglyphs dating back to the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC in Anatolia.
KARATEPE ASLANTAŞ MUSEUM AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
