Paraguayan envoy visits ancient sites in Turkey

By Kemal Ceylan

CORUM, Turkey (AA) - Paraguay’s ambassador to Turkey visited Tuesday ancient sites of Alacahoyuk and Hattusha, capital of Hittites -- one of the most ancient Anatolian civilizations.

"For me this is a very emotional trip. I was doing a research when I was 15 years old, meaning 45 years ago, I was doing a research on the Hittites," Ambassador Ceferino Adrian Valdez Peralta told Anadolu Agency following his trip in the Black Sea province of Corum upon invitation of the agency’s World Languages Editor-in-Chief Mehmet Ozturk.

Visiting Bogazkoy museum, Hattusha archeological site and Yazilikaya Open Air Temple with the guidance of Hittitologist Ozgur Meric, Peralta examined green stone, Bogazkoy sphinx, lion gate and king’s gate which he was familiar with from his schoolbooks.

In Turkey, an expert working on Hittite languages is called hittitologist.

Peralta’s last destination was Alacahoyuk Archeological Site.

Praising efforts to preserve the ruins of the civilization, Peralta said: "It is something very important for the humanity, not only for the people of Turkey".

It is important for the youth to learn about their ancestors and they need to know where they come from to further improve themselves, he added.

Thanking Ozturk for his invitation, Peralta said the trip was an important one as he had the opportunity to see the site of the Hittites, a starting point of the civilization.

He also noted that he studied the Hittites in high school as it was one of the first courses students take to study history of civilizations.

Hattusha, capital of the Hittite Empire, dating back to 2000-1001 B.C., is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage sites.

The Hittites period marks the transition from the Middle to late Bronze Age. This is when the alphabet was developed, and the world saw the rise of the Hittite Empire.

They enjoyed considerable influence on civilizations in Anatolia and northern Syria, building palaces, temples and trade centers at Hattusha.

Hattusha is where the Kadesh Peace Treaty, the first in the world, was signed between the Hittites and Egyptians in 1280 B.C.

* Contributions and writing by Sena Guler in Ankara