1 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Middle Ages living space uncovered at an altitude of 1,800 meters in eastern Turkey

A living space carved into a bedrock considered to belong to the Middle Ages was found at a point overlooking Lake Van in the Çitören District of the Tusba district of Van province in eastern Turkey.

Tusba, also known as Thusba, was the capital of the Urartian kingdom in the 9th century BC.

The excavation team headed by Professor Rafet Çavuşoğlu, Head of the Archeology Department of the Faculty of Letters of Van Yüzüncü Yıl University (YYÜ), continues their work to record the historical structures in Van.

In this context, work was carried out in a hilly area with an altitude of 1800, opposite Çarpanak Island in Çitören District, 30 kilometers from the district.

Efforts are carried out in a mountainous area at an altitude of 1,800 meters (5,905 feet), opposing Carpanak Island in Citoren that is 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Tusba district.
Efforts are carried out in a mountainous area at an altitude of 1,800 meters (5,905 feet), opposing Carpanak Island in Citoren that is 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Tusba district. Photo: AA

The team, which detected a 3-room living space carved into the bedrock in an area close to the area where two Urartian rock tombs were previously identified, started an investigation in the area.

Earlier, ruins of a castle dating 2,800 years ago were discovered during an excavation project in a nearby area.

Remains of pottery were found in the living area with a length of 6 meters (20 feet) and a diameter of 3 meters (10 feet) carved into the bedrock, which was determined not to be registered in the inventory of cultural assets.

The space was established in a very strategic area that oversees historical trade routes.
The space was established in a very strategic area that oversees historical trade routes. Photo: AA

“We understand from the pottery and potsherds that this was a settlement used in the Middle Ages. One of the most important features of this place is that it is located at a very dominant point,” Çavuşoğlu told Anadolu Agency (AA).

He said the space was established strategically and oversaw historical trade routes.

Remains of pottery were found in the living area with a length of 6 meters (20 feet) and a diameter of 3 meters (10 feet) carved into the bedrock.
Remains of pottery were found in the living area with a length of 6 meters (20 feet) and a diameter of 3 meters (10 feet) carved into the bedrock. Photo: AA

“The ancient road route passed by the edge of Lake Van,” he said. “This place is located at a point where you can see all these routes. The eastern part of the settlement has been destroyed. It was arranged on two floors. This feature is used in both the early and Middle Ages.”

The remains in the area, which is located at a point overlooking Lake Van and determined to be used by different civilizations in the Middle Ages, will be examined in detail by archaeologists.

Related Articles

Mystery of the ‘Deserted Castle’ Unraveled: Austria’s First Roman Bridgehead Fort Discovered

18 April 2025

18 April 2025

Researchers have identified the first confirmed Roman bridgehead fort in Austria, located near Stopfenreuth on the Lower Austrian Danube floodplains....

A carved Hand Imprint unearthed in a 1,000-year-old Jerusalem defensive moat

26 January 2023

26 January 2023

The Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Wednesday that archaeologists discovered the remains of a moat and a mysterious hand imprint...

Underwater Researchers Found Temples to Ancient Gods in Sunken City

20 September 2023

20 September 2023

Two temples belonging to the Egyptian god Amun and the Greek goddess Aphrodite were found in the sunken city off...

A New Study: The Great Sphinx of Giza may have been blown into shape by the wind

1 November 2023

1 November 2023

The theory, occasionally raised by others, that the Great Sphinx of Giza may have been a lion-shaped natural landform that...

A massive Rune stone found under a kitchen floor in Denmark declared treasure

8 June 2023

8 June 2023

A couple in Denmark discovered a massive rune stone weighing approximately 900 kilograms during a home renovation project that planned...

Habib-i Neccar Mosque, one of the first mosques in Anatolia, was destroyed in the earthquake

12 February 2023

12 February 2023

Antakya Habib-i Neccar Mosque, one of the first mosques built in Anatolia, was destroyed in the earthquake that killed tens...

Israeli researchers have found evidence of cooking fish 780,000 years ago at Gesher Benot Ya’aqov

14 November 2022

14 November 2022

Hominins living at Gesher Benot Ya’akov 780,000 years ago liked their fish to be well cooked, Israeli researchers revealed Monday,...

Archaeologists discover the Americas’ oldest adobe architecture

7 December 2021

7 December 2021

On the north coast of Peru, researchers have discovered the oldest adobe architecture in the Americas, constructed with ancient mud...

The Oldest “Book” of Europe: Derveni Papyrus

4 September 2022

4 September 2022

The Derveni papyrus is considered Europe’s oldest legible manuscript still in existence today. It is an ancient Greek papyrus roll...

Urartian graves in eastern Turkey pointing out novel burial traditions

21 September 2021

21 September 2021

The excavations in Cavuştepe castle continue with the excavations in the necropolis this year. Two new tombs from the Urartian...

Royal-Memorial Inscription Attributed to King Sargon II Discovered in Western Iran

25 April 2021

25 April 2021

In western Iran, Iranian archaeologists discovered a part of a royal memorial inscription attributed to the Neo-Assyrian king Sargon II....

Native American artifacts from 1100 AD found in North America’s First City

20 June 2024

20 June 2024

Cahokia is the largest and most significant urban settlement of the Mississippian culture, known for creating massive earthen platform mounds...

A rare Roman cornu mouthpiece found at Vindolanda

23 September 2022

23 September 2022

Just south of Hadrian’s Wall, archaeologists have discovered an extremely rare Roman cornu mouthpiece beneath the remains of the ancient...

Remains of 240 people found beneath Ocky White department store in Wales

13 October 2022

13 October 2022

Archaeologists found skeletal remains of over more than 240 people, from beneath a former department store in Pembrokeshire in Wales,...

Archaeologists have discovered a large-sized 4,000-Year-Old steppe pyramid of the Bronze Age in Kazakhstan

10 August 2023

10 August 2023

Archaeologists of L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University discovered a massive Bronze Age steppe pyramid associated with a horse cult...