➥ Arin Berd Inscriptions Arin Berd or Erebuni Fortress is one of the most important Urartian settlements, located on Arinberd hill at the southeastern edge of today’s Yerevan, Armenia. It was founded in 782 BCE by King Argišti I, making it one of the earliest and best-documented Urartian fortresses in the region. Erebuni is considered … Read more
➥ 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
➥ 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 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
It is a fortress settlement located on the northwestern frontier of the Kingdom of Urartu, about 15 km east of the modern-day city center of Erzincan. Altıntepe (meaning “golden hill”) fortress was established on top of a 60-meter-high volcanic hill at the southern edge of the mountain ranges that border the Erzincan Plain to the … Read more
➥ Kef Kalesi Inscriptions Kef Kalesi (Kef Fortress) was established on a hill 2,200 meters high, located behind the town of Adilcevaz, on the northern shore of Lake Van. It stands on the southwestern slopes of Mount Süphan, which was considered sacred by the Urartians. The fortress is about 550 meters above the shore, overlooks … Read more
➥ Aznavurtepe and Patnos Inscriptions Aznavurtepe is a Urartian fortress located in the northeast of the fertile Patnos Plain, about 50 km north of Lake Van. It was establised on top of a hill about 200 meters above the plain, around 2 km north of the Patnos town center. It is thought that the name … Read more
➥ Körzüt Inscriptions Körzüt Kale (Körzüt Fortress) is located approximately 60 km north of the city center of Van, south of the Muradiye Plain. The name Körzüt derives from “Korsot,” the former name of the nearby village of Uluşar. It is one of the fortress settlements built by Urartian King Minua (810–785 BCE). It was … Read more
➥ Toprakkale Inscriptions It is located approximately 5 kilometers east of Tušpa (Van Fortress). The site was established on a hill at the foothills of Mount Zimzim, in the northeastern part of the Van Plain. Inscriptions discovered at the site indicate that the city’s name was Rusahinili Qibani-kai (“Rusahinili in front of Mount Erek”). The … Read more
