A Procession of Gods in Stone. Yazılıkaya, Turkey

Yazılıkaya (Turkish for ‘inscribed rock’) is a Hittite sacntuary of the 13th century BC, located at a distance of roughly 2,5 km from the capital Ḫattuša. The sanctuary is divided into two main roofless chambers, in fact natural rock outcrops, whose walls of up to 12 m height have been decorated with reliefs. Access was once restricted by buildings in front of the entrances, however only foundation walls are preserved. The reliefs portray processions formed of the gods of the Hittite pantheon and also show king Tudhaliya IV., who likely commissioned the work. For one of the chambers a function as a mausoleum or memorial for him. The other chamber, which holds most (64) of the depictions, is interpreted along the lines of a place for New Year´s or purification rituals. Yazılıkaya is generally considered the most important Hittite rock art monument.