14 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Excavations at Körzüt Castle unearth 2 cuneiform inscriptions and a new Urartian Susi temple

During the rescue excavations carried out at the Körzüt Castle in the Muradiye district of Van province in eastern Turkey, 2 cuneiform inscriptions and a 2800-year-old Urartian Susi temple were found. Susi Temple: A kind of temple found in Urartu, which is a square, single-chambered tower-like buildings.

Körzüt is the modern Turkish name for an Urartean fortress located on a rock spur at the southern end of the Muradiye/Berkri plain, approximately 3 km north of Uluşar, in the Muradiye district of Van province in Türkiye. According to an inscription of the Urartean King Minua (9th / 8th century BCE), the fortress was built by Minua.

Rescue excavations in Körzüt Castle were started on October 13, with the permission of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, under the scientific consultancy of Yüzüncü Yıl University, Faculty of Letters, Department of Archeology, Associate Professor Sabahattin Erdoğan.

Associate Professor Sabahattin Erdoğan stated that they started the 2023 Körzüt Castle rescue excavation on October 13 and said, “During our work, we identified an Urartian Temple that is approximately 2800 years old.

Photo: DHA

“This temple is a tower-type susi temple, which we call rizarit (buttress). Before starting the excavations, there was a citadel extending from north to south and a structure at the southern end. We observed two buttresses in the southeast and southwest, which we call ‘rizalit.’ These buttresses were part of the temple within the building. During further work, we initially identified a cuneiform block on the temple’s northern façade. This block bears an Urartian cuneiform inscription consisting of six rows. A second block with a cuneiform inscription was discovered. These inscriptions indicate the site’s significance as a temple.”



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



Photo: DHA

Our work on the inscriptions continues. “Apart from this, maybe we will learn what the name of the castle was in the Urartu (ancient) period, thanks to these inscriptions,” he added.

Associate Professor Erdoğan explained that they had identified another temple similar to this Susi temple in the studies carried out in the same region last year, and said, ” Having more than one temple in a castle is not a very common understanding among the Urartians, in this respect, these structures are very important,”

Photo: DHA

Muradiye District Governor Melih Aydoğan said that rescue excavation work continues. District Governor Aydoğan said, “The authorities informed us that these inscriptions belong to the period of King Minua and describe a campaign,”.

The plastered mud bricks found at the site feature blue plaster typical of Urartian temples, and archaeologists speculate that mythological scenes carved in brown or black might be present on these blocks.

Related Articles

The oldest grave in northern Germany 10,500 years old

14 October 2022

14 October 2022

Archaeologists have discovered the oldest known human remains in northern Germany in a 10,500-year-old cremation grave in Lüchow, Schleswig-Holstein. The...

Sacred Hill of Moon God Sin “Sogmatar”

23 June 2022

23 June 2022

Sogmatar, Şanlıurfa is 53 kilometers from Harran. It is located in Yağmurlu village, where there are important springs in the...

The first Dutch Neanderthal’s ‘Krijn’ face was reconstructed

7 September 2021

7 September 2021

World-renowned “paleo-artists” Kennis brothers have reconstructed the face of the first Neanderthal in the Netherlands. After more than 50,000 years,...

3,000-Year-Old Lost Anatolian language ‘Kalašma’ deciphered

5 July 2024

5 July 2024

In 2023 excavation site at the foot of Ambarlikaya in Boğazköy-Hattusha in Turkey, a cuneiform tablet with a previously unknown...

Runic Alphabet Symbols in the Tombs Found in the Excavations in Istanbul

23 May 2021

23 May 2021

In the excavations carried out by the Istanbul Archeology Museums in the area where the metro station will be built...

Mysterious ruins discovered at the bottom of Lake Van, Türkiye’s largest lake

16 August 2023

16 August 2023

At the bottom of Lake Van, Türkiye’s largest salty soda lake with 3,712 square kilometers, divers discovered a cemetery and...

A Medieval ‘Vampire’ Grave Found in Croatia

1 February 2025

1 February 2025

Research at the Rašaška (or Račeša) site, located in the eastern part of Croatia, revealed a grave with an unusual...

World’s Oldest Pants was Made through Three Weaving Techniques

26 February 2022

26 February 2022

Back in 2014, a group of archaeologists discovered in China a pair of wool pants dating back to around 3,300...

Divers Discover 2,500-Year-Old Shipwreck and anchors Off the Coast of Sicily

23 January 2025

23 January 2025

A shipwreck dating back to the 5th and 6th centuries BC was discovered in the waters of Santa Maria del...

The very unknown ancient city of the Mediterranean; Syedra

3 July 2022

3 July 2022

Known as Turkey’s holiday paradise, the Antalya region is a treasure when it comes to ancient cities. Close to the...

Stone Age Swiss Army Knife? Experimental Archaeology Reveals Surprising Use of Bone Tools at Estonia Site

22 May 2025

22 May 2025

A groundbreaking new study published in February 2025 has revealed that mysterious bone tools discovered at Estonia’s oldest known human...

The Ancient City of Yijin Among the Top 10 Archaeological Discoveries in China

3 February 2021

3 February 2021

Located in Hangzhou’s Lin’an District, Yijin Ancient City among the top 10 archaeological discoveries in China in 2020. Yijin Ancient...

Opulent Bronze Age Girl’s Tomb Discovered in Iran’s Greater Khorasan Civilization

1 August 2025

1 August 2025

Archaeologists have uncovered a remarkably rich Bronze Age burial of a young woman at the site of Tepe Chalow in...

UK’s Oldest Hospice Discovered: Anglo-Saxon Monastery Unearthed in Cookham Reveals Early Medical Care

11 August 2025

11 August 2025

An extraordinary archaeological discovery in Cookham, Berkshire, is rewriting our understanding of healthcare in early medieval England. Unearthed behind the...

The ancient necropolis area in Turkey’s Antalya becomes a museum

22 July 2023

22 July 2023

The East Garage Necropolis Area, which was once a public market in the southern province of Antalya and where archaeological...