Dr. Sachihiro Omura Passed Away: A Life Dedicated to Kultepe Excavations

Turkish and Japanese Archaeology experienced the pain of losing a very valuable name today. Dr. Yukihiro Omura, the pioneer of the Kaman-Kalehöyük archaeological excavations and the founder of the Japanese Anatolian Archaeological Institute, passed away.

Dr. Sachihiro Omura (大村幸弘博士 / Yukihiro Omura) passed away at the age of 77.

Dr. Sachihiro Omura, a Japanese scientist who had been conducting archaeological excavations in Türkiye for nearly 40 years, passed away in Kırşehir. No official statement has been made regarding the cause of Dr. Omura's death, but it is rumored that he passed away due to illness.

The death of Dr. Sachihiro Omura, recipient of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Turkey, was met with great sadness not only in archaeology, science and culture circles, but also in political and policy circles. Many institutions and names have expressed their gratitude to Dr. He deeply saddened Omura's passing and emphasized in his condolence messages that his work had made a great contribution to Anatolian history.

Dr. Omura's work shed light on the prehistoric periods of Anatolia and made a great contribution to archaeological research in the region, and the excavations at Kaman Kalehöyük had led to the discovery of important findings such as palace ruins dating back 4,300 years.

Who is Dr. Sachihiro Omura (大村幸弘博士 / Yukihiro Omura)?

Dr. Sachihiro Omura was born in 1948 in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, and was a respected archaeologist specializing in Middle Eastern and Anatolian archaeology.

Born in Japan in 1948, he studied archaeology at the University of Tokyo and came to Türkiye for archaeological excavations while he was still a student and passed away on May 20, 2025. Omura's area of ​​expertise was Hittite archaeology, the Assyrian Trade Colonies Period.

He unearthed findings that shed light on Assyrian trade networks in the excavations at Kültepe. He was an important representative of Turkish-Japanese cultural cooperation. He collaborated with Ankara University and various institutes in Japan.

After graduating from the Department of Western History at Waseda University, Omura began his doctoral studies in Hittitology at Ankara University, Faculty of Language, History and Geography with a scholarship from the Turkish government. During this period, he gained experience by participating in various archaeological excavations in Türkiye.

Starting from 1972, he took part in various archaeological excavations in Japan, Egypt and Türkiye. During this period, he examined the cultural layers belonging to the Hittite and Assyrian trade colonies period in important settlement areas such as Korucutepe, Konya-Karahöyük and Anjöz in Türkiye, and these studies provided important information about the prehistoric and early historical periods of Anatolia.

In 1985, he started preliminary research at Kalehöyük in the Kaman district of Kırşehir and conducted full-scale excavations from 1986 onwards. These excavations made significant contributions to shedding light on the "dark age" and the beginning of the "iron age" in Anatolia.

Since 2009, he has also directed excavations at other important archaeological sites such as Yassıhöyük and Büklükale. These projects provided clues to understanding the rise and fall of the Hittite Empire and the economic activities of the Assyrian trade colonies in Anatolia.

Among Dr. Omura's scientific contributions, the analysis of iron slags and iron balls found in the destruction layers of the last quarter of the 3rd millennium BC at Kaman Kalehöyük stands out. These findings have made it possible to re-evaluate historical turning points such as the beginning of iron production and the destruction of cities.

In addition, he provided comprehensive information on Anatolian archaeology with his works such as "鉄を生みだした帝国" (The Empire That Created Iron) and "アナトリア発掘記" (Anatolian Excavation Diaries).

Dr. Omura attached great importance to international cooperation in his archaeological research. He carried out joint projects with institutions such as Gaziantep University, Ankara University, University of Nevada, Cornell University, University of Virginia, University of London, University of Nottingham, University of Queensland and the National Archaeological Museum of Spain.

He also contributed to the training of young researchers and pioneered the institutionalization of archaeological studies in the region with the establishment of the Anatolian Archaeological Institute.

Arkeolojikhaber.com