30 May 2023 The Future is the Product of the Past

With the withdrawal of Lake Van, the Urartian road to Çarpanak Island emerged

In Lake Van in eastern Turkey, the water level fell due to global warming, and a one-kilometer Urartian road connecting Çarpanak Island to the shore emerged.

The increasing effects of global warming are causing water level changes in the lake during certain periods and with changes in water level, some underwater structures appear.

Çarpanak Island, (Turkish: Çarpanak Adası) or Ktuts or Ktouts (Armenian: Կտուց կղզի Ktuts kghzi), is one of the 4 big islands in Lake Van.

Island is now uninhabited, but formerly contained an Armenian monastery called Ktuts. The ruins of it can still be seen.

Van Yüzüncü Yıl University (YYU) Faculty of Letters, Head of Archeology Department Prof. Dr. Rafet Çavuşoğlu told Anadolu Agency (AA) that Van, formerly Tusba, served as the capital of the Urartians for many years.

Urartian Road to Çarpanak Island. Photographer Ozkan Bilgin/AA
Urartian Road to Çarpanak Island. Photographer Ozkan Bilgin/AA

Explaining that the Urartians established transportation networks around Lake Van by both land and sea, Çavuşoğlu said, “One of these roads is the road that starts from Tusba and continues to Kalecik, Topaktaş, and then Çarpanak Island. The ruins on Çarpanak Island, namely the Çarpanak Church, belong to the Middle Ages. While this place was in the form of a peninsula in the Ancient Age, the level of the road was raised and transportation was provided by land. In fact, it is a road that starts from Tusba and continues along the shore of the lake, providing access to the castles. There is an Urartian road that follows the coast from Ayanis and Amik castles to Muradiye.” he said.

Noting that the road to Çarpanak Island was submerged over time, Çavuşoğlu said:

“The most important issue here is the decrease in the water level of Van Lake as a result of the decrease in precipitation after 2021. Therefore, the current path is seen more clearly. From time to time, Lake Van rises and falls. After the last rise in 1994, this road was mostly underwater. This road was built in order to provide access to the Urartian period castles, which were established by the lake, and then to the settlements that continued in the Middle Ages, by road. It is an ancient road that was built as wide as a horse-drawn carriage and was built both to take food and daily necessities to Çarpanak and to transport back and forth from Çarpanak. In the aerial images, it is clearly seen that the road was built by lining up stones, and only the main stones remained as the water eroded the road over time.”

During the Iron Age, the Urartians formed a strong political presence in the Eastern Anatolia region by coming together of several principalities such as Uruatri and Nairi. Architecture and metalworking is a civilization that draws attention, especially in the field of handicrafts.

Banner
Related Post

Dog Kajtuś uncovers Poland’s biggest treasure of the past 100 years

21 April 2022

21 April 2022

A dog named Kajtuś discovered the biggest treasure found in Poland in the last 100 years. The treasure was found...

Anatolia’s largest olive oil factory unearthed

14 January 2022

14 January 2022

A Roman-era olive oil factory has been unearthed during excavations in the İskenderun district of Hatay. It has been reported...

Hundreds of skeletons found on Welsh beach

4 July 2021

4 July 2021

Archaeologists found the burial site of women and children just below the surface of the sand dunes on Whitesands Bay...

New insight into the history of human presence in Paveh county, Kermanshah province, which is located in western Iran

22 August 2021

22 August 2021

Stone tools and animal bones unearthed recently have thrown new insight into the history of human presence in Paveh county,...

A 4,500-year-old rope remains were discovered at Turkey’s Seyitömer mound

26 December 2021

26 December 2021

In the rescue excavation carried out in the mound, which is located within the license border of Çelikler Seyitömer Electricity...

A 1000-year-old Viking silver treasure found in Sweden

31 October 2022

31 October 2022

Archaeologists have discovered a 1,000-year-old silver Viking treasure at Täby, Viggbyholm, outside of Stockholm. The treasure was found during an...

The 2000-year-old origin mystery of the Etruscans solved

25 September 2021

25 September 2021

A genetic analysis of DNA taken from ancient skeletons appears to have answered a conundrum that has captivated researchers for...

Who Are The Sea Peoples?

13 February 2021

13 February 2021

Who are the Sea Peoples, which are seen as the beginning of the dark age, and where did they come...

2,200-year-old Greek sling bullet may have been used against Jews

9 December 2022

9 December 2022

A 2,200-year-old lead sling bullet was discovered by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) in the central Israeli city of Yavne,...

Severed right hands reveal Trophy-Taking practices in Ancient Egypt

2 April 2023

2 April 2023

Twelve severed hands were found in Egypt as part of a horrifying “trophy-taking” practice that was just made revealed by...

Ancient Jordanian town referred to as Heshbon in the Old Testament provides insight into regional agricultural history

20 January 2022

20 January 2022

The American archaeologist stated that Tell Hisban, located on the Madaba plains of Jordan, represents the “granary of the empires”....

2,000-Year-Old Dancing Man Statuette Unearthed in Siberia

6 May 2021

6 May 2021

During excavations for a new bridge over the Ob River in Novosibirsk, Russia’s third-largest district, a ten-centimeter-tall figurine was discovered....

Salvage Excavations Started in Giresun Island on Turkey’s Black Sea Coast

18 May 2021

18 May 2021

Rescue excavations are starting again on Giresun Island, where the first examples of human settlement in the Black Sea Region...

The tomb of the “Bird Oracle Markos” was found in the ancient city of Pergamon

31 August 2022

31 August 2022

During the excavations carried out in the Ancient City of Bergama, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the...

1,400-year-old royal hall found in Suffolk, UK

5 October 2022

5 October 2022

Archaeologists, evidence of a 1,400-year-old royal Hall of the first Kings of East Anglia has been discovered in Rendlesham, Suffolk,...

Comments
Leave a Reply

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