Çorum

Last update September 30, 2026

Çorum won’t figure on anyone’s list of places to visit in Turkey, and doesn’t even try to do so. Instead, the town bases its identity on chickpeas and takes this seriously. Leblebi, which is dry-roasted chickpeas, is available in salted, sweet, chocolate-coated, and coffee-flavoured varieties, and shops selling it have LED signs along the streets that are bright enough to be seen at night from a car moving down the road. Although it’s not a snack that’s going to transform your life, sampling a few of the different types does give you a genuine idea of what the local people actually eat, not just a Turkish version of food that’s designed for tourists.

There’s a good reason to make a stop at this location: Hattusa, which is around 82 kilometres away near the village of Boğazkale. It was the capital of the Hittite Empire in the second millennium BC and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site occupying a large hillside, featuring temples, fortifications, and the well-known Lion’s Gate with carved lion sculptures on either side. The main tourist route is approximately six kilometres long, so make sure to wear proper shoes and take some water with you since there is little shade and no place where you can buy a drink once you’re in. Allow between three and four hours to see it properly and don’t forget to visit Yazılıkaya, which is nearby, an open-air rock sanctuary decorated with bas-reliefs of the gods, as this site is already included in your entry ticket.

Another Hittite site, Alacahöyük, is also within easy reach, and with a visit to both places you obtain a more complete understanding of a civilization which most people only vaguely recall from a history lesson. In Çorum town itself there is a clock tower dating from 1894 that forms the focal point of the town centre, and the Çorum Museum contains bronze items and ordinary objects from throughout the Hittite Empire down to the Roman period, deserving a hour before or after your day trip to the ruins.

Consider Çorum to be a place to base yourself in rather than something you aim to visit. It offers decent hotels, unlike Boğazkale which has very limited choices, and it positions you near some of the most important ancient sites in Central Anatolia. Stay there, eat your leblebi, and then leave early the following morning while the ruins are still cool and quiet.