Karatepe-Aslantaş Open-Air Museum The Karatepe-Aslantaş Open-Air Museum is an outdoor exhibition located in the Osmaniye province of Turkey. Situated at Karatepe, which means "black hill," the museum features stone carvings adorned with lion motifs called Aslantaş, meaning "lion stone." This site lies within the boundaries of a national park. The Karatepe site rests along the ancient "Akyol" caravan route that linked Cilicia to Central Anatolia via Andırın-Göksün. This path was historically traveled by the Hittites and Crusaders, and remains in use today by the Yörüks (Nomadic tribes). The remains of an ancient fortress dating back to the 8th century BC are located here, originally called Azatiwadaya. This fortified settlement was constructed by Azatiwada, the king of Quwe, as a defense against northern invaders. It was later conquered by the Assyrian Empire between 720-725 BC or possibly in 680 BC. The fortress features inner and outer walls standing between 4 and 6 meters (13 to 20 feet) tall and 2 to 4 meters (6.5 to 13.1 feet) thick. The space between the double stone walls was filled with rubble and earth, but these walls have been reinforced at intervals of 18 to 20 meters with a total of 34 rectangular bastions, of which only 28 remain identifiable today. There are two gates in the fortress, one facing the southwest and the other the northeast. The southwestern gate is flanked by two lion stone statues and adorned with basalt reliefs illustrating themes of faith and daily life. The famous Karatepe Bilingual, inscribed with ancient Phoenician text alongside hieroglyphs, is situated at this gate. Within the walls, visitors can also find a statue of Bes and a larger, more ornate statue of Baal, the thunder god. At the northeastern fork, a sphinx stands adorned with multiple reliefs and inscriptions on both sides. One of these inscriptions is known as the Karatepe Bilingual, which was instrumental in deciphering ancient Anatolian hieroglyphics through a Phoenician-based script dating back to the 20th century BC. On the hilltop, there are two burnt structures, one of which is believed to have been a palace. A museum has been established at the site to exhibit artifacts, although only smaller objects have been brought inside for display. For any questions or further information about the Karatepe-Aslantaş Open-Air Museum, please feel free to contact us at [email protected] or simply send us a message via Whatsapp, and we will reply as soon as possible.