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Sonia Halliday Photographs/Photo by Jane Taylor

Pilgrimages to the sanctuary at Yazilikaya usually began at the nearby Hittite capital of Hattusha. One of the great military and cultural centers of the ancient world, Hattusha was home to numerous palaces, a library containing more than 3,000 inscribed clay tablets and an enormous temple complex, known simply as the Great Temple. The whole city was enclosed by a series of imposing walls and ornamental gates—including the famous stone Lion Gate shown here.