which only 28 could be identified. The walls in the east-west direction were restored in accordance with the original. The fortress has two gates, one in the southwest and the other in the northeast. At the southwestern gate, there are two lion stone statues. The walls of the two chambers flanking the gate are covered with reliefs on basalt stone, which depict the faith and way of life of that time. The Karatepe Bilingual, an inscription in Phoenician alphabet and Hieroglyphic Luwian with the same text, is situated there. Inside the gate, there is a stone statue of the Ancient Egyptian dwarf deity Bes and a -tall stone statue of the Phoenician thunder god Baal. At the northeastern gate, two stone statues of sphinx, a mythical creature with, the head of a human and the body of a lion, are placed. The flanking chambers contain several reliefs and another Karatepe Bilingual. The Karatepe Bilingual enabled the decryption of Anatolian hieroglyphs, which go back up to 20th century BC, with the help of Phoenician alphabet. Atop the hill, grain wells and two burnt-out building ruins, which are believed to be palaces, are situated. The majority of the artifacts in the open-air museum were not dislocated. Only small items were taken into a museum building for exhibition. Visitors can receive a multi-lingual visual presentation on Karatepe before starting their tour in the open-air museum. References External links Karatepe-Aslantaş images at Hittite Monuments. Open-air museums in Turkey Archaeological museums in Turkey Tourist attractions in Osmaniye Province Kadirli District Hittite cities 1958 establishments in Turkey Museums established in 1958