Regional Roads and Commercial Traffic

The roadways have been reduced in length over the centuries by a number of bridges, but the main roadshaving been in continuous use-have undergone little change; in fact, one of the basic objectives of the military organi- zations was to maintain these roads.

Dr.Kınal believes that the “overland roads between Anatolia and Mesopotamia, which had in use since the time of King Sargon of Akkad and was heavily traveled in the Kültepe period, were undoubtedly also in use in the Hittite period. Studies to identify these roads have concluded that this road went from Hattusha-Kanesh (Kültepe) to Tegarama (Gürün) to Darende-Melit (Malatya) to Samusat (Samsat) to Urshu (Urfa), from where it branched into two roıites; one arm led west to Kargamish (Cerablus) and IIalpa (Aleppo), the other led east through Nisibis (Nusaybin) to Asur and Babylon. Artefacts of the Hittite period have been recovered from all these sites. Another route that connected Anatolia to northern Syria began in Kuzzuwatna, led through the gülek straits and continued on to Aleppo, Kinza and Kadeshe.” In addition to the clay pellet artefacts at places like Fraktin, we may add the long hieroglyphic Hittite inscription at the village of Karaburna, about eight kilometers from Hacıbektaş and the reliefs at Karapınar and even Imamkulu, and Ivriz to provide a general overview of the Hittite period. To complete the picture, we should note that Göllüdağ is located at a central point in the region. Some researchers have indicated that a settlement near Aksaray, about 80 kilometers from Niğde, whose ancient name is still unknown, and which is located at a protected site at a height of 2,143 meters on the west Side of the Ihlara Valley, was connected to sites where reliefs and inscriptions are located, including Bor, Niğde, Andaval, Veliisa, Çiftlik, Karapınar, Topada, Suvasa, Karaburna to Sivas; and from Bohcha, Kayseri, Erkilet, Kültepe, Eğrek, Karakuyu, Gürün, Darende to Malatya; and from Fraktin, Tashchı, Imamkulu, Izgın and Karatumulus to. Elbistan; it also had connecting arteries to Gelveri, Ihlara, Selime to Aksaray and Acemtumulus.

The Royal road, which was the chief road that connected West to East in Anatolia, also joined the main settlements of Phrygia to the north of Cappadocia. At the same time, this road and the main routes led from the Black Sea to the south, one of which passed to the west of the Kızılırmak along the shores of Tuz lake to Aksaray and from there to the vicinity of Kemerhisar (Tyana) south of Niğde and the other of which descended from Sinop through Kayseri. The key road linking Kayseri to the Aegean coast in the Greco-Roman period passed through Cappadocia. This road went from Ephesus, Manisa (Magnesia), Aydın (Tralle), Sultanhisar (Nyssa), Mastavra Kale (Mastaura), Karrura, Hasköy (Attuda), Eskihisar (Laodikeia), Honoz (Kolossia), Dinar (Apameia), Haydarlı (Etropolis), Yalvaç (Antiocheia Pissidiae), Yargan, Ladik (Laodikeia Katakekaumene), Koropassos, Aksaray (Gausaura), Soandan, Sakasene, Viranşehir, Kayseri (Kaisareia), Serezek (Arasaxa), Herpa, Pınarbaşı (Ariaratheia), Arslanbeyle (Coduzalaba), Kuruçay-Bel Incilise, Göksün (Cocussuz), Yarpuz (Arabissos) and Arkas to Malatya (Melitan). Despite the lacunae in our knowledge concerning the settlements, it seems possible to ascertain the main routes. One route led from Ankara to Cilicia and from the shore of Tuz lake to the eastern flanks of Mount Hasan Dağı and from there through Kemerhisar (Tyana); the other originated in Pessinus, led through Aksaray to west of Nevşehir (Soandoz) and through Kayseri. The Roman roads, as Thierry reports based on three sources, include the route followed by Antonin in the third century A.D., another is the itinerary outlined by Peutinger in the fourth century A.D. and the third is the Jerusalem road as it was in the sixth century A.D. According to these sources, one terminus for the route they proposed for the north-south road through Ankara was Pariasan (Parnassos) and from there along the Çeneköy river (Ozzizala-Nitazo) to Acemtumulus (Austama?) to Aksaray (Colanea Archelais), to Mamasun (Momoassun), Bekar (Nenezi, Naziance), Bartumulus (Chussa?), wesf of Göllüdağ, Hasköy (Sasima), Andavalköy (Andabalis), Niğde, Kemerhisar (Tyana), Ulukışla (Halala Faustinopolis) and the Gülek straits.

This route was complemented by a pass with a secondary route leading from the west through the valleys. This road descended from Mamasun to the south and passed through Selime (Salabrina?),Gelveri (Karbala), Sivrihisar, Melendiz . (Malandasa), Göniye (Quniya?), Belkis (or Balysa, Valisa) to Niğde. This road became a route of preference of the Byzantines.They also often traveled by the East-West route joining Aksaray to Kayseri that led from Bekar, Derinkuyu, Kaymaklı, Nevşehir and from there to Aksaray, Bekar,Acıgöl (Topada, Dadata) and Nevşehir (Nissa, Soandoz).The Thierrys, assuming that the Byzantines believed the Roman roads were most appropriate for trade and whose distances were shorter and that for this reason they were developed, claim that there was a road system to link Nevşehir to Kayseri and Niğde.If this is so, one route would have passed through Nevşehir, Uçhisar and Göreme (Korama) (with Avanos lying to the north of it) to Kayseri and Ortahisar would have stood at the crossroads.In fact, with the valley formed by the Balkan river, Ortahisar reduces the leng'th of the Nevşehir to Mustafapaşa road. Hence, we see that Ortahisar, which lies on the Niğde-Kayseri Roman road with the side road that leads to Nevşehir, branches off at the intersection of Yeşilhisar (Cyzistra) and intersects with the Nevşehir, Uçhisar, Göreme to Kayseri road. It is of interest to note that another commercial route in the Avanos area is formed by a second intersection of the Roman road that follows the Kızılırmak and the Hacıbektaş, Gülşehir (Arapsun-Zoropassos) road.Yet, Avanos is typically given less importance in this commercial triangle of Hacıbektaş- GülŞehir-Nevşehir-Avanos. As we indicated earlier, the commercial and geographical position of Avanos that is, the position of its commercial goods and bridgewas significant. These roads were in use by human traffic throughout history and these were, particularly, the most direct routes between the active and leading cities.We should recall that Avanos developed into an important commercial center due to the fact that Avanos was a major center of religious culture because of the Zeus temple located in the city in the Roman Byzantine period (both banks of the Kızılırmak were active transit avenues for the distribution of the commercial commodities). Avanos at the time it is described by Gregoir of Nissa was a leading city. In addition, the shortest route from Nevşehir and the one from Hacıbektaş to Kayseri which passed through Avanos, Sofular and Karatumulus and Avanos and Sarı han to Kayseri were heavily traveled in the Roman Byzantine period.