Minua Canal (A 5-12A–D)
Four identical copies of a 14-line text by Minua, concerning the water canal (the so-called Shamran or Semiramis Canal) commissioned by this king, have been found at various locations along the canal in Edremit, south of the city of Van.
A 5-12A is located on a rocky cliff approximately 2.50 m high beside the Minua Canal, at the Kadembas locality of Edremit, across from the inscription of Tariria (A 5A-1) below the canal support wall. The inscribed area measures 71 cm in height and 142 cm in width.
Transliteration A:
1 dhal-di-ni-ni uš-ma-ši-ni mmì-nu-a-še
2 miš-pu-ú-i-ni-hi-ni-še i-ni pi-li
3 a-gu-ni mmì-nu-a-i pi-li ti-i-ni
4 dhal-di-ni-ni al-su-ši-ni mmì-nu-a-ni
5 MAN DAN-NU MAN al-su-i-ni MAN KURbi-a-i-na-e
6 a-lu-ú-si URUṭu-uš-pa-e URU
7 mmì-nu-a-še a-li a-lu-⸢še⸣ i-ni DUB-te tú-li-e
8 a-lu-še pi-tú-li-e a-lu-še a-i-ni-e-i
9 i-ni-li du-li a-lu-še ú-li-še ti-u-li
10 i-e-še i-ni pi-li-e a-gu-bi tú-ri-ni-ni
11 dhal-di-še dIM-še dUTU-še DINGIRMEŠ-še ma-ni
12 dUTU-ni pi-i-⸢ni⸣ mì-i ar-hi u-ru-li-ni
13 mì-i i-na-i-ni [mì]-i na-a-ra-a
14 a-[ú]-i-e ú-lu-[u]-li
A 5-12B is located in the gardens of Levent Baydaş in Edremit and is almost illegible due to lichens. Its inscribed area is 73 cm high and 146 cm wide.
Transliteration B (CTU V):
1 dhal-di-ni-ni uš-m[a-š]i-ni m⸢mì-nu-a⸣-[še]
2 [ m]iš-pu-u-i-ni-[hi]-ni-še i-ni ⸢pi-li⸣
3 a-[gu]-ni mmì-nu-a-i pi-li ti-i-ni
4 dhal-di-ni-ni al-su-i-ši-ni mmì-nu-a-ni
5 MAN DAN-[NU] MAN al-su-i-ni MAN KURbi-a-i-⸢na⸣-e
6 a-lu-si URUṭu-uš-pa-a-e URU
7 mmì-nu-a-še a-li-e a-lu-še i-ni DUB-te
8 tú-li-i-e a-lu-še pi-tú-li-e [a]-lu-še
9 a-i-ni-e-i i-ni-li du-li-e a-lu-še
10 ú-li-še ti-i-ú-li i-e-še i-ni
11 pi-i-li a-gu-bi ⸢tú⸣-ri-ni-ni dhal-di-še
12 dIM-še d⸢UTU⸣-še DINGIRMEŠ-še ma-ni dUTU-ni
13 pi-e-i-ni mì-i ⸢ar-hi⸣ ú-ru-li-a-ni [mì-i]
14 i-na-i-ni mì-i na-ra-a a-ú-i-e ú-⸢lu⸣-[li-e]
A 5-12C is carved on a rock near the village of Aşağıkaymaz (old Micingirt), overlooking the Minua Canal near the point where it intersected the Engil (Dönemeç) River. The inscription covers an area 70 cm in height and 150 cm in width (Aşağıkaymaz köyünde köprünün yaklaşık 100 m. batısında, kanaldan 15 m. yükseklikte ana kayaya işlenmiş).
Transliteration C (CTU V):
1 [dhal-di-ni-ni uš-ma-ši-ni mmì-]nu-a-še
2 m[iš-pu-u-i-ni-hi-ni-še i-ni pi]-li-e
3 a-gu-[ni mmì-nu-a-i pi-i-li ti]-i-ni
4 dhal-di-[ni-ni al-su-i-ši-ni mmì-nu]-a-ni
5 MAN DAN-NU [MAN] al-[su]-i-ni MAN [KURbi-i-a]-i-na-e
6 [a-lu]-ú-[si] URUṭu-uš-[pa-a-e URU]
7 [mmì-nu]-a-še a-li-e a-lu-še i-ni [DUB]-te
8 tú-li-e a-[lu]-še pi-tú-li-e [a-lu]-še-e
9 a-[i]-ni-e-i i-ni-li [du]-li-e [a]-⸢lu⸣-še
10 [ú]-li-e-še ti-ú-li-[i]-e [i]-e-[še] ⸢i-ni⸣
11 ⸢pi⸣-li-e a-gu-bi tú-ri-ni-ni dhal-di-še
12 dIM-še dUTU-še [DINGIRMEŠ]-še ma-a-ni d[UTU-ni]
13 pi-e-i-ni mì-i ar-hi ú-ru-li-a-ni [mì-i]
14 i-na-i-ni mì-[i] na-a-ra a-ú-i-e ú-[lu]-li
A 5-12D is carved on a rock near Bakımlı (old İşhanikom) in Edremit, but only the top three lines are legible.
Transliteration D (CTU V):
1 dhal-di-ni-ni uš-ma-ši-ni m⸢mì-nu-a-še
2 miš-pu-u-i-ni-hi-ni-še i-ni pi-li-e
3 a-gu-ni mmì-nu-a-i pi-i-li ti-ni
(rest illegible)
Translation:
“Through the protection of the god Haldi Minua, son of Išpuini, dug this canal. Its name is ‘Canal of Minua.’ Through the greatness of the god Haldi (I am) Minua, strong king, great king, king of the Bia lands, lord of Ṭušpa-City. Minua says: (As for the one) who destroys this inscription, (as for the one) who damages it, (as for the one) who makes anyone else do these things, (as for the one) who might say: ‘I dug this canal,’ let the god Haldi, the Weather-God, the Sun-God, (and all) the gods destroy him under the sun … (rest untranslatable).”
References:
Erdoğan, S. 2006. Minua (Şamram) Kanalı ve Urartu Bahçeleri, M.A. Thesis. Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi, Van (Plt. XXIV, 41).
Müller-Simonis, P. 1892. Du Caucase au Golfe Persique, à travers l’Arménie, le Kurdistan et la Mésopotamie, Washington D.C. (image b/w p. 252–253).
Salvini, M. 1992. “Il canale di Semiramide,” Geographia Antiqua 1: 67–80.
Salvini, M. 2008–2018. Corpus dei Testi Urartei, v. 1 pp. 203–205, v. 3 pp. 126–128, v. 5 pp. 120–122.
Şen, M. 2022. Yeni Veriler Işığında Minua (Şamram) Kanalı ve Kanala Yönelik Koruma Önerileri, M.A. Thesis, Van Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi (p. 73 Resim 28, p. 78 Resim 32).
eCUT – Electronic Corpus of Urartian Texts (https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ecut/Q006910).
CTU A 5-12A–D = CICh 34–37 = HchI 29a–d = UKN 43–46 = KUKN 60–63
Image Sources:
P. Müller-Simonis, 1892
S. Erdoğan, 2006
M. Şen, 2022
Tayfun Bilgin, 2024
Minua Canal (A 5-13)
The nine-line inscription is engraved on a large, southwest-facing rock near the locality of Kadembas. It is located at a bend in the canal at the base of the canal’s retaining wall, by the northern limit of the “Tariria Vineyards” (A 5A-1). The inscription covers an area of 53 cm by 175 cm.
Transliteration:
1 dhal-di-ni-ni uš-ma-ši-ni mmì-nu-a-še
2 miš-pu-ú-i-ni-hi-ni-še i-ni pi-li-e
3 a-gu-ni mmì-nu-a-i pi-li ti-ni
4 mmì-nu-a-še a-li-e a-lu-še i-ni DUB-te tú-li-i-e
5 a-lu-še pi-tú-li-e a-lu-še a-i-ni-i i-ni-li du-li-e
6 a-lu-še ú-li-e-še ti-ú-li-e i-e-še i-ni pi-li-e
7 a-gu-bi tú-ri-ni-ni dhal-di-še dIM-še DINGIRMEŠ-še
8 ma-a-ni dUTU-ni pi-e-[i]-ni mì-i ar-hi ú-ru-li-a-ni
9 mì-i i-na-i-ni mì-i na-a-ra-a a-ú-i-e ú-lu-⸢li⸣-[e]
Translation:
“(1) Through the protection of the god Haldi, Minua, son of Išpuini, dug this canal. Its name is ‘Canal of Minua.’
(4) Minua says: ‘(As for the one) who destroys this inscription, (as for the one) who damages it, (as for the one) who makes anyone else do these things, (or as for the one who) says ‘I dug this canal,’ let the god Haldi, the Weather-God, the Sun-God, (and all the) gods annihilate him under the sun! . . .” (rest untranslatable).
References:
Erdoğan, S. 2006. Minua (Şamram) Kanalı ve Urartu Bahçeleri, M.A. Thesis. Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi, Van (Plt. XIX, 32).
Salvini, M. 2008–2018. Corpus dei Testi Urartei, v. 1 pp. 205–206, v. 3 p. 128, v. 5 pp. 122–123.
Şen, M. 2022. Yeni Veriler Işığında Minua (Şamram) Kanalı ve Kanala Yönelik Koruma Önerileri, M.A. Thesis, Van Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi (p. 81 Resim 35).
eCUT – Electronic Corpus of Urartian Texts (https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ecut/Q006911).
CTU A 5-13 = CICh 38 = HchI 29e = UKN 47 = KUKN 64
Image Sources:
S. Erdoğan, 2006
M. Şen, 2022
Minua Canal (A 5-14A–D)
A short version of Minua’s canal inscriptions is known from four copies. All four copies contain four lines of text with only minor spelling differences.
A 5-14A: This inscription, engraved on a large west-facing stone, is located within the property of the Van Cement Factory in Edremit. The rock is embedded in the retaining wall of the canal bed, and the inscribed niche is 31 cm high and 76 cm wide.
Transliteration A (eCUT):
1 dhal-di-ni-ni uš-ma-ši-ni
2 mmì-nu-a-še miš-pu-u-ni-hi-ni-še
3 i-ni pi-li-e a-gu-ni
4 mmì-nu-a-i pi-li ti-ni
A 5-14B: This stone inscription was discovered in 1892 by W. Belck in the village of Işhanikom (today Bakımlı) but has been lost since then.
Transliteration B (CTU V):
1 dhal-di-ni-ni uš-ma-ši-ni
2 mmì-nu-a-še miš-pu-u-ni-hi-ni-še
3 i-ni pi-li a-gu-ni
4 mmì-nu-a-i pi-li ti-ni
A 5-14C is on a large stone in the canal’s retaining wall opposite the village of Meşketok, near Bakımlı. It measures 19 cm in height and 101 cm in width.
Transliteration C (CTU V):
1 dhal-di-ni-ni uš-ma-[ši-ni]
2 mmì-nu-a-še miš-pu-u-i-ni-hi-ni-še
3 i-ni pi-li a-gu-ni
4 mmì-nu-a-i pi-li ti-ni
A 5-14D is carved on a rock near the locality of Kadembas in Edremit, reportedly 80 m west of the Tariria garden inscription (A 5A-1).
Transliteration D (CTU V):
1 dhal-di-ni-ni uš-ma-ši-ni
2 mmì-nu-a-še miš-pu-u-i-ni-hi-ni-še
3 i-ni pi-li-e a-gu-ni
4 mmì-nu-a-i pi-li-e ti-ni
Translation:
“Through the protection of the god Haldi, Minua, son of Išpuini, dug this canal. ‘Canal of Minua’ is (its) name.”
References:
Lehmann-Haupt, C. F. 1928–1935. Corpus Inscriptionum Chaldicarum, Berlin-Leipzig (Plt. LII).
Salvini, M. 2008–2018. Corpus dei Testi Urartei, v. 1 pp. 206–207, v. 3 pp. 128–130, v. 5 p. 123.
Şen, M. 2022. Yeni Veriler Işığında Minua (Şamram) Kanalı ve Kanala Yönelik Koruma Önerileri, M.A. Thesis, Van Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi (pp. 75, 80, 82 Resim 29, 34, 36).
eCUT – Electronic Corpus of Urartian Texts (https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ecut/Q006912).
CTU A 5-14A–D = CICh 39–42 = HchI 30a–d = UKN 48–51 = KUKN 65–68
Image Sources:
C. F. Lehmann-Haupt 1928–1935
M. Şen, 2022
Archaeo.bian, 2024
Minua Canal (A 5-15A–E)
Another short canal inscription of Minua is known from five copies. One of these (A) is inscribed on a flat, projecting rock in the private gardens of Levend Baydaş in Edremit; three others (B, C, D) are in the Kadembas location in Edremit; and a fifth, now lost (E), was detached from the channel wall sometime before 1903, somewhere between the villages of Angl (Dönemeç) and Maşpak (Gölkaşı). All five copies contain three lines of inscription with only minor spelling differences.
Transliteration:
A
1 dhal-di-ni-ni uš-ma-ši-ni mmì-nu-a-še
2 miš-pu-u-i-ni-hi-ni-še i-ni pi-i-li-e
3 a-gu-ni mmì-nu-a-i pi-i-li ti-ni
B
1 dhal-di-ni-ni uš-ma-ši-ni mmì-nu-a-še
2 miš-pu-ú-i-ni-hi-ni-še i-ni pi-i-li-e
3 a-gu-ni mmì-nu-a-i pi-li ti-ni
C
1 dhal-di-ni-ni uš-ma-ši-ni mmì-nu-a-še
2 miš-pu-ú-i-ni-hi-ni-še i-ni pi-li-e
3 a-gu-ni mmì-nu-a-i pi-li ti-ni
D
1 dhal-di-ni-ni uš-ma-ši-ni mmì-nu-a-še
2 miš-pu-u-i-ni-hi-ni-še i-ni pi-li
3 a-gu-ni mmì-nu-a-i pi-li ti-ni
E
1 dhal-di-ni-ni uš-ma-ši-ni mmì-nu-a-še
2 miš-pu-u-i-ni-[hi]-ni-še i-ni pi-li
3 a-gu-ni mmì-nu-a-i pi-li ti-ni
Translation:
“Through the protection of the god Haldi Minua, son of Išpuini, dug this canal. ‘Canal of Minua’ is (its) name.”
References:
Erdoğan, S. 2006. Minua (Şamram) Kanalı ve Urartu Bahçeleri, M.A. Thesis. Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Van (Plt. XXIV, 42).
Lehmann-Haupt, C. F. 1928–1935. Corpus Inscriptionum Chaldicarum, Berlin-Leipzig (Plts. LII, LIV–LV).
Salvini, M. 2008–2018. Corpus dei Testi Urartei, v. 1 pp. 207–208, v. 3 pp. 130–132, v. 5 p. 124.
eCUT – Electronic Corpus of Urartian Texts (https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ecut/Q006913).
CTU A 5-15A–E = CICh 43–45, 45A, 46 = HchI 30e–i = UKN 52–56 = KUKN 69–73
Image Sources:
C. F. Lehmann-Haupt 1928–1935
S. Erdoğan, 2006
M. Salvini, 2008
Minua Canal (A 5A-1)
The inscription is engraved in a west-facing niche on an isolated rock situated a few meters below the bed of the Minua Canal, opposite another canal inscription of Minua (A 5-12A), near the Kadembas locality in Edremit. The same three-line text is repeated twice. The niche measures 90 cm in height and 134 cm in width.
Transliteration:
1 mmì-nu-a-i-ni-e-i MUNUSsi-la-a-i-e
2 fta-ri-ri-a-i i-ni GIŠul-di
3 fta-ri-ri-a-hi-ni-li ti-i-ni
4 mmì-nu-a-i-ni-e-i MUNUSsi-la-a-e
5 fta-ri-ri-a-i i-ni GIŠul-di
6 fta-ri-ri-a-hi-ni-li ti-i-ni
Translation:
“To the wife of Minua, to Tariria (belongs) this vineyard. ‘The Taririan’ is (its) name.”
(text is repeated one more time)
References:
Salvini, M. 2008–2018. Corpus dei Testi Urartei, v. 1 p. 268, v. 3 pp. 193–194, v. 5 p. 188–189.
eCUT – Electronic Corpus of Urartian Texts (https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ecut/Q007001).
CTU A 5A-1= CICh 57 = HchI 40 = UKN 111 = KUKN 137
Image Sources:
M. Salvini, 2018
Aktüel Arkeoloji, 2025