29 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Newly Discovered Two Fortress Settlements and a New Type of Open-Air Temple in Eastern Anatolia Region of Türkiye

Two fortress settlements and two new open-air temples were discovered during a survey in Tunceli province in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Türkiye.

The discovery was made within the scope of the “Iron Age and Hellenistic Age Tunceli Survey” project, which has been carried out within the borders of Tunceli province since 2016.

Two fortress settlements and two new open-air temples discovered during the survey were published in the 61st issue of the Pamukkale University Social Sciences Institute Journal.

Associate Professor Serkan Erdoğan noted that one of the newly discovered castle settlements is located in the easternmost part of today’s Tunceli provincial borders and the other is almost in the westernmost part of these borders. “The two fortress settlements named Lower Harik (Doluca) in the southeastern Anatolian region host a new type of temple that we have not known before,” he said.

Photo: İHA

Associate Professor Serkan Erdoğan noted that one of the newly discovered castle settlements is located in the easternmost part of today’s Tunceli provincial borders and the other is almost in the westernmost part of these borders.



📣 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!!



“The two fortress settlements, one named Masumu-Pak fortress located in the Hozat-Çemişgezek -Ovacık triangle and the other named Aşağı Harik (Doluca), located on the banks of the Peri Çayı (Peri stream) east of Nazımiye in the southeastern Anatolian region host a new type of temple that we have not known before,” he stated.

Photo: İHA

Researchers noted that  While the Iron Age traces are intense in Aşağı Doluca Fortress (Lower Doluca Fortress), the Iron Age and Medieval structures are evident in the Masumu-Pak Fortress.

It has been established that the buildings regarded as open-air temples in the settlements of Aşağı Doluca Fortress and Masumu-Pak Fortress share similar form and construction characteristics.

The primary similarity between the outdoor prayer spaces in the two communities is the architectural feature that resembles an altar etched into the rocks, with a platform in front of it.

Photo: İHA

Researchers said that the temples showed that they were built in a period of 7 centuries BC (9-8 centuries BC) when Urartian dominated the region.

The question of whether these temples, which have local characteristics, were built for local gods/cults or the worship of the known great gods of a certain period, remains unclear.

Assoc. Dr. Serkan Erdoğan said, “The Lower Harik Castle and Temple, located in today’s castle hamlet settlement, is also known as a sacred place called Moro Sur (Red Snake). “Today, those who still want to find healing continue to call out by saying “Ya Moro Sur, Tu esta (You exist, Moro Sur),” he said.

Photo: İHA

Emphasizing that the snake motif is affirmed in geography, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Erdoğan stated that the Moresur myth has an original and authentic structure and that the history of this area as a sacred place dates back to ancient times.

https://doi.org/10.30794/pausbed.1291475

Related Articles

Buried Secrets: How a Roman Sailor’s Gravestone Resurfaced in a New Orleans Yard

9 October 2025

9 October 2025

A routine yard cleanup in New Orleans turned into an international archaeological mystery when a homeowner uncovered a 2nd-century Roman...

Excavations at Aizanoi in Western Turkey to Resume

29 March 2021

29 March 2021

The ancient city of Aizanoi is located in the town of Çavdarhisar, 57 km from the center of Kütahya (Turkey’s...

Illegal digs reveal rare Roman-era mass grave in Turkey

28 July 2022

28 July 2022

A total of 27 skeletons were found in a burial pit carved into the rocks in Adıyaman province, an important...

Archaeologists Unearthed Third Greatest Fire Temple Existing in Ancient Iran’s Sassanid Era

11 July 2022

11 July 2022

Archaeologists have unearthed ruins of what they believe to be the third-greatest fire temple in ancient Iran during the Sassanid...

In Russia, archaeologists 2100-Year-Old Medallion of Goddess Aphrodite and a warrior tomb unearthed

30 October 2022

30 October 2022

Archaeologists have unearthed a silver medallion depicting the Greek goddess Aphrodite (Roma Venüs) in a 2100-year-old grave of a priestess...

Gold jewelry from the time of Nefertiti found in Bronze Age tombs in Cyprus

1 December 2021

1 December 2021

Archaeologists from the University of Gothenburg have concluded an excavation of two tombs in the Bronze Age city of Hala...

Archaeologists Unveil Sanctuary of Odysseus on Ithaca: A Monumental Discovery Rooted in Myth and History

15 June 2025

15 June 2025

A major archaeological breakthrough on the Greek island of Ithaca has brought new clarity to the island’s legendary past. Researchers...

Receding waters in Lake Van reveal rock-cut Urartian port

22 September 2022

22 September 2022

Located in the eastern province of Van in Turkey, the falling water level of Lake Van, with the decrease in...

New discoveries in Göbeklitepe and Karahantepe: A Human statue with a realistic facial expression found in Karahantepe

30 September 2023

30 September 2023

New finds were discovered in Göbeklitepe and Karahantepe. At around 12,000 years old, Göbekli Tepe is the world’s oldest megalithic...

Ushabti figurines on display at Izmir Archeology Museum

18 September 2021

18 September 2021

The 2,700-year-old “Ushabti” statuettes, discovered in archaeological digs in western Turkey and used in Egyptian burial ceremonies, are being shown...

Archaeologists find the largest bronze beast of Sanxingdui ruins

4 September 2022

4 September 2022

The largest and only one of its kind discovered in China to date, the bronze beast was discovered by archaeologists...

Researchers Make Distilled Wine in a Replica of a 2,000-year-old Bronze Vessel Found in the Emperor’s Tomb

1 January 2025

1 January 2025

Archaeologists in China have produced distilled wine in a replica of a 2,000-year-old bronze vessel recovered from an emperor’s tomb,...

New mosaics unearthed in “Zeugma of the Black Sea”

3 October 2022

3 October 2022

New mosaics with various figures were unearthed during the ongoing excavations in the ancient city of Hadrianopolis, which is called...

Ancient Agora Discovered in Hyllarima: Shops to Be Excavated in the Heart of the City

29 June 2025

29 June 2025

A major archaeological discovery has been made in the ancient city of Hyllarima in southwestern Türkiye—the city’s central agora has...

Sensational Find: 900-year-old Picture Stone! Is Depicted Figure the Legendary Bishop Otto of Bamberg?

19 August 2024

19 August 2024

During construction work in Klotzow (Vorpommern-Greifswald district), one of the most spectacular archaeological finds in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in recent years has...