The Ancient Kingdom of Kizzuwadna in Syria

Kizzuwadna

Kizzuwadna was a Hurrian kingdom in southeastern Anatolia. Late in the 16th century BC (beginning of the Eighteenth Dynasty) they concluded a treaty with the Middle Kingdom Hittite king Tudhaliyas II and remained a major independent power until conquered by the Hittite king Suppiluliumas, probably during the reign of Amenhotep III. At the Battle of Kadesh, Kizzuwadna supplied troops to aid the Hittite King Muwatallis against Ramesses II.

Although Kizzuwadna was a vassal state, the influence of Hurrian culture on that of the Hittites was great. The ruling family itself may have had Hurrian blood, based on the number of queens and other nobles with Hurrian names. The Hurrian pantheon was also integrated into the Hittite, and the goddess Hebat of Kizzuwadna became very important in Hittite religion towards the end of the 13th century BC (middle of Nineteenth Dynasty). Kizzuwadna was also important economically as a center for iron smelting and manufacture.