Bulutpınar (A 11-8)
The basalt stele was found in 2007 in the village of Bulutpınar (old Cemalverdi), located about 25 km northwest of Patnos. According to locals, the stele was found at and brought from a ruined Armenian cemetery. It originally had a cross carved on the blank top part, which was broken after its transfer to the village. The inscription, carved on both faces, is intact. It is 195.5 cm high (including the tenon), 55 cm wide, and 30 cm thick. The inscription on the front celebrates the building of a bridge on the River Arṣiani, the Urartian name of Murad Su (in Assyrian texts Arṣania), which is about 10 km west of the village. The back has a curse formula. A rectangular basalt stele base, almost certainly belonging to the Bulutpınar stele, was discovered in 2010 in the village of Beydamarı, about 5 km east of Bulutpınar.
Transliteration (after CTU V):
obverse
1 [d]⸢hal-di-ni⸣-[ni]
2 ⸢uš⸣-ma-ši-i-⸢ni⸣
3 [m]ar-gi-iš-ti-še
4 mru-sa-hi-ni-še
5 a-li i-e-še i-ni-li
6 qa-bur-za-ni-e-li
7 te-ru-ú-li
8 ÍDar-ṣi-ia-ni-e-⸢di⸣
9 za-du-ú-⸢bi⸣
10 ú-ši-ip-te-⸢e⸣
11 KURbi-a-i-na-ú-⸢e⸣
12 te-ru-bi ti-ni
13 mar-gi-iš-ti-ni-li
14 qa-bur-za-ni-⸢li⸣
15 dhal-di-ni-⸢ni⸣
16 al-su-i-ši-ni
17 dhal-di-ni-ni
18 ba-ú-ši-ni
19 mar-gi-iš-ti-ni
20 mru-sa-hi-e MAN DAN-⸢NU⸣
21 MAN al-su-i-⸢ni⸣
22 MAN KURbi-a-i-na-ú-⸢e⸣
23 MAN MANMEŠ-ú-e a-lu-⸢si⸣
24 URUṭu-uš-pa-e ⸢URU⸣
reverse
1 [mar-gi-iš-ti-še]
2 [m]⸢ru⸣-sa-⸢hi⸣-[ni-še]
3 a-li-e a-lu-[še]
4 i-ni DUB-te tú-li-e
5 a-lu-še [pi]-tú-li-e
6 a-lu-še a-ú-i-e-i
7 še-er-du-li-e
8 a-lu-še ú-li-e
9 i-ni-li du-li-e
10 ⸢ha⸣-ú-li ú-li
11 ⸢a?⸣-ri-e tú-ri-ni-ni
12 dhal-di-še
13 dIM-še dUTU-še
14 DINGIRMEŠ-še ma-a-ni
15 dUTU-ni pi-i-ni
16 mì-i ar-hi-e
17 ú-ru-li-a-ni mì-i
18 i-ni-i-ni mì-i
19 na-ra-a a-ú-i-e
20 ú-lu-ú-li-e
Translation:
“(obv. 1) [Through] the protection of the god Haldi, Argišti, son of Rusa, says: (5b) I installed this bridge(?). Over the river Arṣiani I made a crossover(?) through the Bia lands; (12) I gave it the name ‘Bridge(?) of Argišti’. (15) Through the greatness of the god Haldi, through the command of the god Haldi (I am) Argišti, son of Rusa, (21) strong king, great king, king of the Bia lands, king of kings, lord of Ṭušpa-City.
(rev. 1) [Argišti], so[n of] R[usa], says: (3b) (as for the one) who destroys this inscription, (as for the one) who damages it, (as for the one) who hides it anywhere(?), (as for the one) who makes anyone else do these things, takes (it or says) ‘go, give (it)’, (11b) may the god Haldi, the Weather-God, the Sun-God, (and all) the gods annihilate him under the sun …
References:
Çavuşoğlu, R., K. Işık & M. Salvini. 2010. “New Urartian Inscriptions from East Turkey,” Orientalia 79, 36–54.
Dan, R. 2018. “An Urartian stele base from Beydamarı, Turkey,” AJNES 12, 97–105.
Salvini, M. 2008–2018. Corpus dei Testi Urartei, v. 1 pp. 545–546, v. 3 pp. 335–336, v. 5 pp. 313–316.
eCUT – Electronic Corpus of Urartian Texts (https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ecut/Q007099). (accessed 11-2025; incomplete)
Image Sources:
R. Dan, 2018