Yerkapi Postern Gate

A view looking north at the Postern Gate which was built at the foot of the massive rampart on the southern edge of Hattusha.  The protruding entrance to the tunnel is in the post and lintel style, surrounded by stone masonry.  The function of the gate and tunnel are not clear.  Some think that it may have had a ceremonial purpose or may have been a means of easy access to the city in times of peace.

On both sides of the gate structure, the sloping stone mantel of the rampart is visible. The massive Rampart of Yerkapi ("gate in the earth") is about 115 feet high and 820 feet wide.  It is constructed of packed dirt that was covered with stones.  On the west and east sides are stairways that lead up to the Sphinx Gate

The rampart was constructed during the period of the Hittite Empire (1360–1180 B.C.).