Getting to Know Çorum
Çorum is a province set on the plateau where the Kızılırmak and Yeşilırmak basins meet, between Central Anatolia and the Black Sea. In the south-west of the province, at Boğazkale, Hattuşa was the capital of the Hittite Empire between the 17th and 13th centuries BC; the city was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1986. Yazılıkaya, 2 km north-east of Hattuşa, is the Hittites’ open-air sanctuary, with 63 divine figures carved among the rocks.
Among the cuneiform tablets found in the archives of Hattuşa is the Hittite version of the Treaty of Kadesh, signed around 1259 BC between the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II and the Hittite king Hattusili III. It is the oldest known peace treaty for which the texts of both sides survive. The other important Hittite centres in the province are Alacahöyük, with its Sphinx Gate and Bronze Age tombs, and Şapinuva (Ortaköy), regarded as the second largest city of the Hittite Kingdom, where nearly 4,000 tablets were found.
The city centre preserves the Grand Mosque from the Seljuk and Ottoman periods and the Clock Tower of 1894–1896. Çorum is also the home of Türkiye’s most famous leblebi.
When to Go
Çorum has a continental climate: summers are hot and dry, winters cold and snowy. Averages for 1929–2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service:
| Month |
Avg. high |
Avg. low |
Rainfall |
Rainy days |
| January |
4.4 °C |
−4.2 °C |
39 mm |
12 |
| February |
6.6 °C |
−3.3 °C |
29 mm |
11 |
| March |
11.5 °C |
−0.7 °C |
39 mm |
12 |
| April |
17.5 °C |
3.7 °C |
47 mm |
12 |
| May |
22.2 °C |
7.6 °C |
62 mm |
13 |
| June |
26.0 °C |
10.5 °C |
54 mm |
10 |
| July |
29.2 °C |
12.6 °C |
20 mm |
4 |
| August |
29.6 °C |
12.8 °C |
15 mm |
3 |
| September |
25.6 °C |
9.3 °C |
22 mm |
5 |
| October |
20.0 °C |
5.4 °C |
27 mm |
7 |
| November |
13.0 °C |
1.0 °C |
33 mm |
8 |
| December |
6.5 °C |
−1.9 °C |
43 mm |
12 |
May–June and September–October are ideal for the Hittite sites. Hattuşa is a large site with no shade, so in summer go early in the morning. In winter the sites may be covered in snow; the lowest temperature ever recorded is −27.2 °C.
How to Get to Çorum
By road: Çorum lies on the Ankara–Samsun road, about 3 hours from Ankara and about 2 hours from Samsun. Hattuşa is 82 km south-west of the city centre, at Boğazkale; Alacahöyük is 15 km north-west of the Alaca district.
By air: There is no airport in Çorum; the airport at Merzifon (Amasya) is the nearest, and Ankara Esenboğa can also be used.
Çorum Area by Area
- Boğazkale: Hattuşa (Lion Gate, King’s Gate, Yerkapı, Great Temple, Green Stone), Yazılıkaya and the Boğazköy Museum.
- Alaca: the Alacahöyük archaeological site, the Sphinx Gate and the Alacahöyük Museum; the registered Alaca hingali and Alaca camili kilim.
- Merkez: Çorum Museum, the Grand Mosque and the Clock Tower.
- Ortaköy: the Hittite city of Şapinuva and the 12-km İncesu Canyon.
- Osmancık: Koyunbaba Bridge over the Kızılırmak, Kandiber Castle on its rock, Koyunbaba Tomb and Osmancık rice.
- İskilip: İskilip Castle in front of Yivlik Hill, the historic houses and a rich local cuisine.
Suggested Itineraries
Day 1 – The Hittite capital: Boğazköy Museum in the morning, then the Lower City and Great Temple at Hattuşa, the Lion Gate, Yerkapı (Sphinx Gate) and the King’s Gate; in the afternoon, the reliefs of Yazılıkaya.
Day 2 – Alacahöyük and Çorum: Alacahöyük and its museum in the morning; Çorum Museum, the Grand Mosque and the Clock Tower in the afternoon; leblebi stalls in the evening.
Extra day: Koyunbaba Bridge and Kandiber Castle at Osmancık; the castle and historic houses at İskilip.
Çorum Cuisine
The symbol of Çorum is Çorum leblebisi (roasted chickpeas). The main ones among the 34 geographical indications registered with TÜRKPATENT are Çorum kuru mantısı (dried dumplings), Çorum su böreği, Çorum baklavası, Çorum şekerlemesi (confectionery), Çorum simidi (sesame bread ring), Alaca hingali, Alaca yanıç böreği, İskilip dolması, İskilip tepsisi, İskilip baklavası, Osmancık malak tatlısı, Osmancık kapari turşusu (pickled capers), Kargı tulum peyniri (Kargı goatskin-cured cheese), Oğuzlar cevizi (Oğuzlar walnuts) and İskilip çileği (İskilip strawberries). Among handicrafts, the Alaca camili kilimi and the İskilip tokmaklı kağnı (mallet-fitted ox cart) are registered.
Practical Tips
- The Hattuşa site is spread along a road of about 5 km that circles the walls; it is recommended to get around by vehicle rather than on foot.
- The Hittite tablet of the Treaty of Kadesh is on display in the Istanbul Archaeology Museums.
- Accommodation options in Boğazkale are limited; plan to return to Çorum during the day.
Photo: Acar54 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source 
