Avnik (A 9-39) The fragmentary basalt stele was discovered in 1965, reused in the outer wall of a mosque in the village of Avnik (now Güzelhisar), about 60 km east of Erzurum. The six lines on the stele are the closing section of a text. In the blank space below the inscription, a cross in … Read more
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
Karahan (A 2-9A–B) The two basalt steles were found in Karahan in 1976–77. They share the same width (67 cm) and thickness (31 cm). Fragment A, with a rounded top, is the upper part of a stele and has a height of 117 cm with 25 lines of inscription. Fragment B, broken at the top … 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
Foundation Inscription (A 8-17A–B) The text is known from two stone blocks from the fortress of Arin Berd. The first (A) was found by K. L. Oganesian during excavations. The second (B) was found in situ in 1958 in the palace of Argišti. Both bear exactly the same text. Stone A measures 38 x 69 … 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
