8 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

An Urartian fortress was discovered at an altitude of 3,300 meters in eastern Turkey

In the Gürpınar district of Van, located in eastern Turkey, a fortress ruin, which is considered to be used by the ruling class of the Urartians, was detected on a mountain at an altitude of 3,300.

The excavation team headed by Professor Rafet Çavuşoğlu, Head of the Archeology Department of the Faculty of Letters of Van Yüzüncü Yıl University (YYÜ), initiated an Archaeological Surface Research Project in order to uncover the historical structures in the district and bring them to tourism.

Within the scope of the project supported by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the excavation team went to Örmeli neighborhood, 40 kilometers from the district, and climbed the Kara Dağ (Black Mountain) at an altitude of 3,300.

Photo: AA

The team of archaeologists, anthropologists and art historians, who reached the summit after climbing for about 4 hours under the guidance of professional mountaineer Mustafa Bingöl, discovered the remains of an ancient road and a new castle from the Urartian period during the surveys in the region.

A large cistern with a diameter of 7 meters, walls and many ceramic remains were found in the ruins of an ancient road of about one kilometer made of rocks and sandstones and a 70-meter-long and 30-meter-wide castle.

It was determined that the fortress, which is considered to be used by the Urartian executives, hosted different civilizations in the Iron Age.

Photo: AA

Professor Çavuşoğlu told Anadolu Agency (AA) that they come across different finds every year in Van, which was designated as the capital city by the Urartians.

Stating that it was exciting to encounter a fortress at this height for the first time during the survey, Çavuşoğlu said, “During the climb, we first encountered an ancient road leading to the fortress. The ancient road is exciting. The summit is reaching by passing through this ancient road about 3 meters wide and one kilometer long. We see that the Urartians built a tremendous fortress at 3,300 meters. We found that this fortress was also used in the periods after the Urartians.” he said.

Photo: AA

Stating that they encountered ceramic finds from different civilizations, especially Urartians, in the castle, Çavuşoğlu gave the following information:

“There is a cistern dug into the bedrock to meet the need for water during the summer months. It was re-knitted with Khorasan mortar in the Middle Ages. There are traces on it bearing the classical features of the Urartians. We observed that they cut the bedrock to form the walls. There is much pottery from the Urartian, Iron, and Middle Ages periods in the area. The fortress is on a summit with a cliff on all four sides. It is almost impossible to conquer this place. This is the administrative center. The ruling class lived here. Just below are the sections where those who served the administrative center lived.”

 We have been researching the land for 30 years. Urartu has always surprised us,  “This is the first time we’ve come across a fortress of this height. I can say it’s the most important fortress we’ve found so far.”

Cover Photo: AA

Related Articles

A cave painting found in Egyptian Sahara depicts a nativity scene 3,000 years before Jesus’ Birth

21 December 2023

21 December 2023

5,000-year-old rock art depicting the oldest nativity scene ever found has been found in Egypt’s Sahara Desert: A newborn between...

KIŠIB: A Digital Archive From 80,000 Mesopotamian Seals is Being Created

19 December 2024

19 December 2024

Over the next 16 years, a research team from the Institute for Near Eastern Archaeology at the Free University of...

Hellenistic cremation tomb found in Istanbul’s Haydarpasa excavations

11 April 2022

11 April 2022

A brick tomb belonging to the Hellenistic period (330 BC – 30 BC) was found during the Haydarpaşa excavations, which...

Archaeologists unearth mosaic floors in the ruins of a building they believe is the lost Church of the Apostles

23 October 2021

23 October 2021

In the historical village of Bethsaida on the edge of the Sea of Galilee, archaeologists discovered mosaic floors in the...

High school student discovered a 1500-year-old ancient Magical Mirror

9 August 2023

9 August 2023

 A High school student discovered an ancient “magical mirror” meant to ward off the evil eye in an archaeological excavation...

7,000-Year-Old Animal-Figured Seals Found in Arslantepe, Anatolia’s First City-State

27 August 2024

27 August 2024

Archaeologists working at the Arslantepe Mound (Turkish: Arslantepe Höyük), a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Türkiye’s eastern Malatya province and...

Incredibly Rare Tyrian Purple Discovered at Carlisle Roman bathhouse

5 May 2024

5 May 2024

A rare archaeological object – thought to be the only one of its type in the former Roman Empire –...

A former Spanish disco-pub confirmed as lost medieval Synagogue

11 February 2023

11 February 2023

In the Andalucian city of Utrera, archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a 14th-century synagogue. The discovery, made public on...

Research Uncovers a Long-Isolated North African Human Lineage in the Central Sahara from Over 7,000 Years Ago

4 April 2025

4 April 2025

A recent study conducted by a team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, including senior author...

A Small Sandstone Carved With A Viking Ship May Be Oldest Picture Ever Found In Iceland

16 June 2023

16 June 2023

Archaeologists in East Iceland have found a sandstone carved with a Viking ship that may be the oldest picture ever...

Rare ivory plaques from First Temple Period were discovered in Jerusalem

8 September 2022

8 September 2022

An extraordinary find was made in Jerusalem: an assemblage of ivory plaques from the First Temple period, one of only...

2,300-year-old Punic tomb complex found during works on car park for staff

26 October 2024

26 October 2024

A 2,300-year-old Punic tomb was discovered during work in a car park near Mater Dei Hospital in Msida, Malta. The...

The 11-meter giant statue of the island of Naxos “Dionysus of Apollonas”

22 March 2023

22 March 2023

One of the two ancient marble quarries, thought to have begun the sculpture, the greatest art of antiquity, is located...

Four 1,900-year-old Roman swords found in Judean Desert

6 September 2023

6 September 2023

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced the discovery of four extremely well-preserved Roman swords hidden in a cave in the...

Unique Roman Cavalry Parade Helmet Recreated

6 April 2024

6 April 2024

Two replicas have been created of the gilded silver unique Roman cavalry helmet that amateur archaeologists found in 2001 while...