The outlines of nearly all the foundations you see in the hollow below Yerkapi represent Hittite temples. By the 14-13th century BC, once the great city wall had been erected in the south for protection, this area had grown into a well established cult center.
So far, 30 different temples have been identified in the Upper City of Hattusha. We may assume that still more temples lay in the central cult center here; not without reason "the Thousand Gods of the Hatti Land" are frequently mentioned in the Hittite texts. The phrase expresses Hittite tradition quite appropriately; the deities of other cities and peoples were also incorporated into the cult center of Hattusha. If no temple was erected, at least a sacred stone, a sacral tree or grove, or a fountain was consecrated to the honor of the deity. Such hallowed features are frequently mentioned in the Hittite texts. The dimensions of the temples vary greatly. The larger temples range from 1,200 to 1,500 m², while the smaller ones vary from 400 to 600 m². Certain temples (Nos. 4, 6 and 26) were also surrounded by a walled-off precinct known as a temenos. The size of the temples and the great number of rooms indicate that the temples also served economic purposes, owning land and run by personnel responsible for the preparation and storage of raw materials and foodstuffs. Some temples may even have served an ambassadorial function for the land and people whose deity or deities they represented.
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