Tsovinar (A 10-2) The rock inscription is located in Kolagran (now Tsovinar) on the south shore of Lake Sevan. It covers an area of 88 cm in height and 133 cm in width on the forward-leaning surface of a rocky outcrop. A modern commemorative stele placed in front of it, leaning against the rock. The … Read more
Elar (A 8-8) The inscription was on a large rock block near Elar (today Abovyan), a town about 16 km northeast of Yerevan in Armenia. The 10-line inscription covered an area 36 cm high and 88 cm wide. It was destroyed in 1968 during road construction, and the two surviving fragments are now in the … Read more
Gulijan (A 8-9) The inscription is on a rock face next to the stream Karan-Gu (Mant’ash) below the village of Gulijan/Kulidzhan (now Spandaryan), approximately 21 km southeast of Gyumri in Armenia. It measures 24 cm in height and 72 cm in width, faces south-southeast, and receives direct sunlight only around noon. Transliteration:1 dhal-di-ni uš-ta-bi ma-si-ni … Read more
Seqendel (A 9-8) The rock inscription is located on a hill northwest of the village of Seqendel, 30 km west of the city of Ahar in Iran. The south-facing inscription is carved in a shallow niche 68 cm high and 115 cm wide on the hillside that hosts the ruins of the fortress of Libliuni. … Read more
Yedikilise (A 5-32) The six-line inscription was on the upper part of a large stele, once housed in the monastery of Varagvank‘ (Yedikilise) on the slopes of Erek Dağı, southeast of the city of Van. The stele has been lost since that time. Transliteration:1 [mmì-nu-a-še miš-pu-ú]-i-ni-hi-[ni-še]2 [i]-ni URU ši-[di]-iš-tú-ni3 i-ni NA4pu-lu-ú-si-e ku-gu-ni4 mmì-nu-a-ni miš-pu-ú-i-ni-e-hé5 MAN … Read more
Bostankaya (A 5-67) The inscription on a block, shapeless on the back, was found and copied by W. Belck in the 1890s in the village of Bostankaya, approximately 16 km northeast of Malazgirt. The right side of the block has been damaged since its discovery. The existing piece measures 66 cm in height, 98 cm … Read more
Elmalık / Zivistan (A 2-2A–G) At least seven cylindrical stones, likely column bases, all carved with the same three-line inscription, feature identical content on each line. This practice of repetition was also adopted by later kings of Urartu. The stones are about 77 to 80 cm in diameter and very likely all originated from the … Read more
Zivin (A 5-4) The two-piece stele was originally located in the Zivin Fortress, near the village of Zivin (today Süngütaşı) in the Sarıkamış district of Kars. The stele was removed to Tbilisi during the Russian invasion of the region in the late 19th century. It has a width of 62 cm and a depth of … Read more
Taşköprü (A 9-5) The rock inscription is located less than a meter above the current ground level in a rocky ravine behind the village of Taşköprü, which lies approximately 500 meters west of the southern tip of Lake Çıldır. The eight-line inscription is carved on a flattened surface 26.5 cm high and 82.5 cm wide. … Read more
➥ Minua Canal Inscriptions It is a water canal approximately 50 kilometers long, built by Urartian King Minua at the end of the 9th century BCE with the aim of bringing water to the Urartian capital Tuspa. The Urartians constructed many dams, ponds, and water canals for agricultural purposes. Many of these are still in … Read more
