Yerkapi Postern Interior Gate

A view looking south at the Interior Gate of the postern tunnel.  Rising above it is the peak of the Rampart.

The tunnel this gate leads to, is 230 feet long and 10 feet high.  From here, it slopes downward to its exit outside the city.  The tunnel may have had a ceremonial purpose or it may simply be a means of easy access into the city in times of peace.

The massive Rampart of Yerkapi ("gate in the earth") that was built over the tunnel, 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.).