Anasay

Öz

Hassa is located on the 80 kilometers North of Hatay. The town, which is

on the mountainside of Amanos and in Kahramanmaraş-Hatay graben, is located

in a very fertile land. On the west of the town there are Amanos Mountains

which lie in the direction of North-South and on the east of the town there is

Syria with 24 kilometers border line. One of the most significant historic geographic

richness of the region are historical roads of Amanos mountains which

enable transition between Anatolia and Mesopotamia and are still used for transition.

One of the historic roads of these is located between Hassa and Dörtyol

(Hassa, Tiyek Village, Tiyek pass, Çardak plateau, Domuzdamı, Taştekne,

Cıvık, Dörtyol) which is our study field. There are Roman ruins on the route of

this pass which is thought to be used when Belen (Plylae Syriae) and Aslanlıbel

(Porta Amaica) passes were occupied. The region has been very significant

since the prehistoric period as it has been on the passing route of Anatolia and

Mesopotamia. Beginning with the prehistoric times, the region has been under

the domination of Hurri, Hittite, Neo-Hittite Kingdoms, Hellen, Roman, Byzantium,

Arabic and Turkish in respectively. The region had a busy period with

Hittites which gave a great importance to North Syria and organized an expedition

to this region whenever possible. Hassa, which was located between Sam’al

(Zincirli) and Pattina-Unqi (Tayinat) of the Neo-Hittite Kingdoms which were

established after the collapse of Hittites, must have had inhabitants effectively.

I think detailed studies, which will be held in this region, will present certain

evidences which will enlighten the history of the region.