The House on the Slope

The steep slope that rises from the Great Temple to the Royal Citadel of Büyükkale was also a part of the Old City of the Hittites, which by the 16th century BC must have been encircled by a fortification wall. On the slope there were a variety of terraced buildings that sat on or nestled between the rocky outcroppings. The so-called House on the Slope is a particularly monumental example. Two-storied and most impressive in size, 32 x 36 m, it must not have been a private house, but a building of administrative function. This concept is supported by the grand hall, 13 x 17 m, reconstructed on the upper floor. Housekeeping and storage was relegated to the lower floor, where a copious collection of clay tablets was found during excavation.
Towards the end of the 13th century BC the House on the Slope was destroyed by fire and never again rebuilt. The well-fired mudbrick walls against the slope at the back are still standing.