Nerik
Nerik (Hittite: "Nerik(ka)") was a Bronze Age settlement to the north of the Hittite capitals Hattusa and Sapinuwa, probably in the Pontic region. The Hittites held it as sacred to a Storm-god who was the son of Wurušemu, Sun-goddess of Arinna. The weather god is associated or identified with Mount Zaliyanu near Nerik, responsible for bestowing rain on the city.

Nerik was founded by Hattic language speakers as Narak; in the Hattusa archive, tablet CTH 737 records a Hattic incantation for a festival there. Under Hattusili I, the Nesite-speaking Hittites took over Nerik. They maintained a spring festival called "Puruli" in honor of the Storm-god of Nerik. In it, the celebrants recited the myth of the slaying of Illuyanka.

Under Hantili, Nerik was ruined and the Hittites had to relocate the Puruli festival to Hattusa. As of the reign of Tudhaliya I, Nerik's site was occupied by the barbarian Kaskas, whom the Hittites blamed for its initial destruction.

During Muwatalli II's reign, his brother and appointed governor Hattusili III recaptured Nerik and rebuilt it as its High Priest. Hattusili named his firstborn son "Nerikkaili" in commemoration (although he later passed him over for the succession). Seven years after Muwatalli's son Mursili III became king, Mursili reassigned Nerik to another governor. Hattusili rebelled and became king himself.

Nerik disappeared from the historical record when the Hittite kingdom fell, ca. 1200 BC. Since 2005–2009, the site of Nerik has been identified as Oymaağaç Höyük, on the eastern side of the Kızılırmak River, northwest of Vezirköprü.
Q35668
Hittite
Concept
Q11761
Bronze Age
TIME
Q5406
Hittite
LOC
Q181007
Hattusa
LOC
Q3620
Sapinuwa
LOC
Q621672
Pontic region
Concept
Q455262
Storm-god
MISC
Q18176350
Wurušemu
Concept
Q511056
Sun-goddess
Concept
Q776557
Arinna
LOC
None
Mount Zaliyanu
UNK
Q31107
Hattic language
Concept
Q1999796
incantation
Concept
Q299472
Hattusili I
PER
Q35668
Nesite
Concept
Q1241637
Puruli
UNK
Q765864
Illuyanka
MISC
Q360181
Hantili
PER
Q316840
Tudhaliya I
PER
Q116238
Kaskas
Concept
Q311650
Muwatalli II
PER
Q297588
Hattusili III
PER
Q360197
Mursili III
PER
Q7116284
Oymaağaç Höyük
LOC
Q257785
Kızılırmak River
LOC
Q2086353
Vezirköprü
LOC
Q916681
Nerik
LOC
Q916681
Nerik
LOC
Q916681
Nerik
LOC
Q916681
Nerik
LOC
Q916681
Nerik
LOC
Q916681
Nerik
LOC
Q916681
Nerik
LOC
Q916681
Nerik
LOC
Q916681
Nerik
LOC
Q916681
Nerik
LOC
Q916681
Nerik
LOC
Q916681
Nerik
LOC
Q916681
Nerik
LOC
1200-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1200
DATE
2005-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
2005
DATE
+2009^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
2009
NUMBER
native language
spouse
spouse
instance of