Karaburna Rock Inscription

It is located near the Karaburna village of Hacıbektaş, Nevşehir. The inscription is known in the literature by its older name, Karaburun (Turkish for "Black Promontory"). To the south of the village, on a 90-meter-high flat-top hill, are the ruins of an old fortress. The script is located on the eastern side of the ruins to the left of the remnants of a gateway. It is a long and incised rock inscription in Hieroglyphic Luwian. The three-line inscription also has a small heading—a scribal signature—about 30 cm above the center (last photo below). It is translated as "Wana, the Scribe." Hawkins reads the inscription to be a report on an agreement between "Sipi, the king" and "Sipi, the son of Ni" about the restoration of the fortress at the location. The text warns against the destruction of the inscription and threatens them with the wrath of the Moon-God. The "Sipi" name does not appear in any other source. He is more likely to be a local ruler of Tabal-era. Inscription is likely to be from the 8th century BCE.


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