Kurd û Kurdistan

Sam'al (Sinjerli), Basalt (Turkish: Kabartmalı Ortostatlar, kale kapısı batı kısmına ait Geç Hitit Dönemi M.Ö. 9. yüzyıl Samal -Zincirli- Bazalt). The 2nd millennium (The Middle and Late Bronze Age) in Anatolia is known as the Hittite Period in general. In the early centuries of the 2nd millennium the political texture of the land was made up of independent city states and small rich kingdoms.

The Inner and Northern Anatolia was the Land of Hatti and the people Hattians. Today it is generally accepted that Hattian, the language they spoke, is of the Caucasian language group. Trade, especially that of metal, was quite intensive. Although Anatolia is rich in copper, silver and gold, it is rather poor in tin, which is necessary to make the alloy of bronze. Knowing about this, the merchants of Assur (Qala't Shergat) in northern Mesopotamia realized an internatinoal trade organization by establishing colonies (karums) based only on trade with no political affinity, under the auspices of the local Anatolian kingdoms. The center of all the karums was Kanesh/Nesha (Kültepe near Kayseri Province). At the beginning of the 2nd millennium B.C. writing was not yet known in Anatolia. Whereas the Assyrian merchants knew the cuneiform writing and made use of it in their trade relations. As a result of this, writing was introduced to Anatolian life. The Assyrian trade colonies ended in mid-18 th century B.C. The Indo-European Hittites, who infiltrated into Anatolia starting from mid-3rd millennium B.C. started having a say in the administration of the city kingdoms in the first quarter of the 2nd millennium B.C. Pithana, the king of Kanesh/Nesha, and his son Anitta, king of Kussara, have tried to unite the kingdoms under their rule. In the years 1650/1600 B.C. Labarna I, the king of Kussara, moved the capital of the Hittite State from Kussara to Hattush and called himself Hattushili, meaning from Hattush. This way the Hattusha of the Hittites was born from the Hattush of the Hattians, and remained as the capital of the Hittite State until its fall around 1200-1180 B.C.

The Hittite State, which is the first political union in Anatolia, eventually became a territorial land empire and a great power, together with the Babylonian and Egyptian States in the Near East. The Hittite State, comprising the old Hittite Kingdom (1650 - 1350 B.C.) and the Great Hittite Empire (1350 - 1180 B.C.) Periods, fell in around 1200 - 1180 B.C. The Hittite State was ruled as a confederation of small vassal states. The great king at the head of the confederation, who also had the title of chief priest, was the owner of the Hittite land. The queen, was responsible mainly for religious affairs. Hittite kings were deified after death and became sun gods. Hittite religion was polytheistic. Some of the gods and goddesse are of earlier Anatolian origin. In Hittite religion, natural powers like the sun, the moon, the air, the water and the storm; natural shapes like the mountains and the rivers, concepts like abundance, justice, war and peace were personofied as gods and goddesses.