The Bronze Age of Anatolia: Tracing the Footsteps of the Hittites and Hattians
Duration: 7 Days / 6 Nights
Focus: 3000 BC – 1200 BC (Early, Middle and Late Bronze Age)
Day 1: Beginning and First Contact (Ankara)
Morning: Ankara Museum of Anatolian Civilizations (World's best Hittite and Bronze Age collection).
Lunch: Presentation on local Early Bronze Age settlements such as Ahlatlıbel and Koçumbeli.
Evening: Welcome dinner on the topic of "Bronze Age Chariots and Logistics".
Day 2: The Birth of the Sun Discs (Alacahöyük)
Route: Ankara → Çorum (Alacahöyük).
Focus: Hatti culture before the Hittites, the magnificent Sphinx Gate and gold-bronze gifts from royal tombs. Accommodation: A boutique stone mansion near Hattuşa.
Day 3: The Imperial Heart (Hattusha & Yazılıkaya)
Full Day: UNESCO World Heritage Site Hattusha. Underground tunnels (Potern), walls and the Great Temple.
Afternoon: Yazılıkaya Open-Air Temple. Rock reliefs depicting a procession of more than 60 gods.
Experience: "Hittite Cuneiform Workshop" (Trying to write on clay tablets).
Day 4: The World's First Trading Center (Kültepe/Kaniş)
Route: Çorum → Kayseri.
Focus: The Assyrian Trade Colonies Era. The first international trade networks between Mesopotamia and Anatolia and "Kaniş Karum".
Discovery: Excavation site where the world's oldest commercial letters and envelopes were found.
Day 5: Kızılırmak Bend and Art (Cappadocia / Kanlıhöyük)
Route: Kayseri → Cappadocia. Focus: Ceramic production in the Bronze Age. Hittite "Kızılırmak Form" jugs and beaked vessels. Activity: Pottery making in Avanos using traditional Hittite techniques.
Day 6: The Oldest Palaces of Anatolia (Kültepe & Museum Continuation)
Morning: Kayseri Archaeology Museum (focused on Kültepe tablets).
Lunch: A menu inspired by Hittite-era cuisine (Ninda-an/Bread and honey wine tasting).
Evening: Following the ancient routes of the Anatolian steppe via Kırşehir on the return journey.
Day 7: Finale and Kadesh Peace Treaty (Ankara)
Morning: Gordion (Transition phases from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age).
Closing: End-of-tour evaluation accompanied by a replica of the Kadesh Peace Treaty (the world's first written peace treaty).
Transfer: Esenboğa Airport.
