The Hittite Empire (1650–1180 BC): Anatolia's Bronze Age ...

✓ Last reviewed: May 2026 — Verified and updated by our licensed Turkey travel experts. Prices, opening hours and visa rules reflect the latest 2026 guidance. This article on the Hittite Empire is part of our reverse-chronology exploration of Anatolian history; you can find the full History of Türkiye series here to journey through the ages. Quick Answer: The Hittite Empire (c. 1650–1180 BC ) was a formidable Bronze Age superpower based in Anatolia, in what is modern-day Türkiye. Centered at their magnificent Hattusa capital , the Hittites were famed for their advanced military, pioneering ironwork, and their epic clash with Egypt at the Battle of Kadesh , which resulted in the world's first surviving international peace treaty. Welcome, history lovers and fellow adventurers! I'm your guide from My Turkey Adventure, and today we're turning the clock back over 3,500 years. Before the Ottomans, Byzantines, Romans, or even the classical Greeks left their mark on this land, central Anatolia was the heartland of a mighty and mysterious civilization: the Hittite Empire . For nearly 500 years, this powerhouse of Bronze Age Anatolia dominated the political landscape from the Aegean to Mesopotamia. They battled pharaohs, built monumental cities, and created a legacy that still echoes through the rugged landscapes of modern Türkiye. Join me as we uncover the story of Anatolia’s first great empire. Who Were the Hittites and Where Did They Come From? The Hittites were a people who arrived in central Anatolia sometime after 2000 BC . Unlike their Semitic and Sumerian neighbours in Mesopotamia, the Hittites were speakers of an Indo-European language. In fact, the Hittite language, deciphered in 1915 by Czech scholar Bedřich Hrozný , is the oldest attested Indo-European language in the world, making it a distant relative of English, Spanish, and Hindi! They didn't call themselves "Hittites"—that name comes from the Bible. They referred to themselves as the "people of the Land of H