Urartian Monuments

Kaleköy

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➥ Kaleköy Inscription The Urartian fortress located north of Kale village, which lies about 5 km east of the Mazgirt district center, takes its name from the village, and the village in turn takes its name from the fortress (Kaleköy means Fortress Village). It is not a settlement large enough to serve as a provincial … Read more

Kayalıdere

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Kayalıdere Fortress, located about 1.5 km west of Kayalıdere village in the Varto district, is one of the provincial centers that controlled the western regions of the Urartian Kingdom. It was built on a rocky ridge extending in a northwest-southeast direction along the banks of the Murat River (Eastern Euphrates).The site was first identified during … Read more

Anzaf Fortresses

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➥ Anzaf Inscriptions The fortresses of Upper Anzaf (Yukarı Anzaf) and Lower Anzaf (Aşağı Anzaf) represent a critical architectural and strategic complex from the Urartian period, located approximately 10 km northeast of Van in eastern Turkey. These fortified sites were constructed during the reigns of Kings Išpuini and Minua in the 9th–8th centuries BCE and … Read more

Van Kalesi - Tušpa

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➥ Van Kale Inscriptions ➥ Van Old City Inscriptions Tušpa, the capital of the Urartian Kingdom was established on and around a rocky hill rising on the shore of Lake Van, about 5 km west of today’s city center of Van. It is generally known as Van Kalesi (Van Fortress). The settlement consists of a … Read more

Yeşilalıç Kapı

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➥ Yeşilalıç Inscription Yeşilalıç Kapı (Yeşilalıç Gate) is an Urartian open-air cult monument, located near the village of Yeşilalıç (formerly known as Pagan), approximately 60 km east of the city center of Van and 35 km south of the Özalp district center. The monument lies on the southern slopes of Mount Nazarabad, about 1,5 km … Read more

Meher Kapı

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➥ Meher Kapı Inscription Meher Kapı (Meher Gate) is an Urartian open-air cult center. It is located at the foot of Mount Zimzim, about 4.5 km east of the Urartian capital Tušpa. Among the locals, it is also known as the Stone Gate, Treasure Gate, or Mithra Gate. Mehr/Meher is an alternative name of Mithra.There … Read more

Çavuştepe - Sardurihinili

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➥ Çavuştepe Inscriptions Çavuştepe fortress was founded in the mid-8th century BCE by King Sarduri II during the peak of the Urartian Kingdom’s power. Inscriptions found within the fortress refer to the settlement as Sardurihinili. The site is located approximately 25 kilometers south of modern-day Van, situated in the center of the Gürpınar Plain. The … Read more

Ayanis - Rusahinili Eiduru-kai

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➥ Ayanis Inscriptions Ayanis is a fortress settlement built atop a hill on the shore of Lake Van, located approximately 38 kilometers north of the Urartian capital, Tušpa. It lies along the route that connects Tušpa to the northern shore of Lake Van. The fortress was one of the defensive structures commissioned by Urartian King … Read more