25 March 2023 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

Banner
Related Post

Olmec reliefs show Ancient Olmec Leaders In Trance-Like State Roaring Like Jaguars

14 August 2022

14 August 2022

Archaeologists in Mexico have discovered two carved reliefs from the late Olmec period (900-400 B.C.) in Villahermosa, Tabasco, southeastern Mexico...

‘Australia’s silk road’: the quarries of Mithaka Country dating back 2100 years

4 April 2022

4 April 2022

In Queensland’s remote Channel Country of red dirt and gibber rock, traditional owners and archaeologists have unearthed what researchers have...

The 3,200-year-old perfume of Tapputi, the first female chemist in history, came to life again

24 July 2022

24 July 2022

One of the scent formulas written in Akkadian on clay tablets by Tapputi, known as the world’s first female perfumer...

Using Algorithms, Researchers Reassemble Jewish Text Lost Centuries Ago

27 January 2022

27 January 2022

Using new technology, researchers were able to comb a 19th-century text for the original study of a Bible interpretation attributed...

A unique golden sun bowl was discovered during an archaeological survey in Ebreichsdorf, Austria

3 October 2021

3 October 2021

A golden sun bowl and several hundred bronze objects were discovered during archaeological excavations in a prehistoric settlement in today’s...

Folded Gold Diadem discovered in Ancient Burial Urn in Southern India

12 August 2022

12 August 2022

A gold diadem, bronze, iron objects, and pottery were reportedly found in a burial urn at the archaeological site of...

2700-year-old Assyrian carvings found near Mashki Gate destroyed by Isis

20 October 2022

20 October 2022

The U.S. and Iraqi archaeologists have unearthed ancient rock carvings believed to be more than 2,700 years old in Iraq’s...

A rare 3,300-year-old bronze helmet reaching the present from the Hittite Empire era

17 July 2022

17 July 2022

The 3,300-year-old bronze helmet, which was unearthed during the 2002 excavations in Şapinuva, one of the important cult centers of...

Metal Scraps were Used İnstead of Money in Bronze Age Europe

8 May 2021

8 May 2021

Bronze scrap uncovered in hoards in Europe was used as currency, according to researchers from the Universities of Göttingen and...

The world’s largest Byzantine winepresses have been discovered in Israel

11 October 2021

11 October 2021

Archaeologists say they’ve discovered the world’s largest known Byzantine-era winery in the city of Yavne, south of Tel Aviv. The...

An unknown human group is revealed in a 7,200-year-old skeleton discovered in Indonesia

27 August 2021

27 August 2021

According to a study released this week, archaeologists uncovered the bones of a 7,200-year-old skeleton from a female hunter-gatherer in...

In Oman, a 4,000-year-old Early Bronze Age settlement was unearthed

25 January 2022

25 January 2022

A large settlement dating back more than 4,000 years has been discovered in Oman. Archaeological excavations in the Wilayat of Rustaq,...

Tanzania’s mysterious footprints were made by early humans, not bears

6 December 2021

6 December 2021

The prehistoric footprints discovered by archaeologists caused confusion because scientists looked at them again to determine whether they were left...

Drought unveils sunken basilica in Turkey

14 October 2022

14 October 2022

The sunken basilica remains discovered in 2014 became visible as a result of Lake Iznik’s water withdrawal. Climate change is...

Ancient objects found in Jerusalem could be hand grenades used 1000 years ago, New study says

27 April 2022

27 April 2022

New analysis into the residue inside ancient ceramic pots from 11th–12th century Jerusalem has found that they were potentially used...

Comments
Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *