Nashteban (A 11-5)
The rock inscription is on the southern slopes of the Savelan (Sabalan) Mountains, near the now-abandoned village of Nashteban, located about 20 km northeast of the city of Sarab in Iran. The inscribed surface covers an area 64.5 cm high and 112 cm wide. It was carved in a deep niche, but the top section of the niche and the first line of the inscription have been damaged by treasure seekers. The inscription is a partial duplicate of the nearby rock inscription from Razliq (A 11-4). The text concerns the military activities of Argišti II.
Transliteration:
1 dhal-di-ni-ni al-su-ši-ni
2 mar-giš-ti-še m⸢ru⸣-sa-hi-ni-še a-li
3 ka-ru-bi KURbu-⸢qu⸣-[ú]-⸢e⸣ KUR[x]-du-ši-li
4 a-la-sa-ši-li ⸢ku-ṭi5-a-di pa⸣-ri
5 ÍDmu-na-i-di i-šá-ni ⸢bi-di⸣-a-di
6 ka-ru-bi KURgi-ir-du-ni ⸢KUR⸣gi-tú-ha-ni-⸢ni⸣
7 KURṭu-iš-du-ni e-⸢ʾa⸣ URUe-ú-[dù?]-tar-ni
8 URU gu-nu-šá-a ha-⸢ú⸣-[bi] ⸢KUR⸣.KUR[MEŠ x x?]
9 ha-ú-ú-⸢li⸣ [me-ši-ni pi-e-i]
10 ʾa-al-du-[bi mar-giš-ti]-⸢še⸣
11 a-li-e a-⸢lu⸣-[še i-ni DUB]-⸢te⸣
12 tú-li-⸢e tú-ri⸣-[ni-ni dhal-di-še]
13 [dIM-še dUTU-ni-še DINGIRMEŠ]-še
Translation:
“(1) Through the greatness of the god Haldi, Argišti, son of Rusa, says: I defeated the land Buque, (and) the alasašili of the land [x-]dušili. (4b) I came to the river, I returned from that (region and) I defeated the land Girdu, the land Gituhani (and) the land Ṭuišdu, and I conquered the city Eu[du?]tarni in battle. I conquered the lands [. . .], (and) [I] put them [under tribute]. (10b) [Argišti] says: (as for the one) who destroys [this inscription], [may the god Haldi, the Weather-God, the Sun-God, (and all) the gods] annihilate him!”
References:
André-Salvini, B. & M. Salvini. 1999. “The Urartian Rock Inscriptions of Razliq and Našteban (East Azerbaijan, Iran),” SMEA 41, 17–32.
Benedict, W. C. 1965. “Two Urartian Inscriptions from Azerbaijan,” JCS 19, 35-40.
Ceylan N. & M. Çiftçi. 2021. “Kuzeybatı İran’daki Urartu Yazıtlarındaki Savaş ve Propaganda İfadeleri,” MANAS 10.2, 1369–1388 (Foto 10).
Salvini, M. 2008–2018. Corpus dei Testi Urartei, v. 1 p. 543, v. 3 p. 333, v. 5 pp. 311–312.
eCUT – Electronic Corpus of Urartian Texts (https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ecut/Q007096).
CTU A 11-5 = UKN II 446 = KUKN 410
Image Sources:
Sbnaderi, 2011 (CC BY-SA 3.0)
AmirAK, 2016 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
N. Ceylan & M. Çiftçi, 2021