Excavations at the Mound of Van Fortress/Tuspa

The prime concern of this investigation was the extent of the lower settlement of the Van Fortress/Tuspa, the capital city of the Urartians, especially the mound, since all the previous excavators have suggested the presence of earlier levels beneath the Old City of Van. The 1990 campaign in particular revealed earlier Urartian levels in the Upper Citadel trenches thereby providing important data to work with. It was in this context that the capital city as a whole is considered necessary to fully understand the citadel and the lower settlement levels. Every corner of the outcrop, which is by itself, a monument was utilized by the Urartian architects. Royal rock tombs, monumental open air sanctuaries and palaces are the most prominent architectural features of the capital. Many cuneiform inscriptions either on the rock surfaces or on the stelae, further cement its position as a capital. It is possible to trace the cultural remains and chronology of the 200 years of Urartian rule from the levels of the lower settlement as it is feasible in view of the current excavations, that the second millennium culture and the transition to the Iron Ages in the region can be redefined

Excavations at the Old City, Fortress, and Mound of Van: Work in 2017

Fig. 1: The citadel of Tushpa The citadel of Tushpa, the mound of Van Fortress with its lower settlement, and the walled Old City of Van to the south of the citadel have been the sites of various cultures from the Early Bronze Age to the early 20th century (Fig. 1). In the 2017 excavation season, excavations and documentation work continued at the Tushpa citadel, on the Van Fortress mound, and at the Old City of Van, and research proceeded with the goal of understanding and solving the probl..

The Van Tušpa excavations 2015-2016

The Tušpa/Van Fortress, the capital of Urartu, is located on the eastern shore of Lake Van. In 2015 and 2016, our excavations focused mainly on three different areas: The Mound, the old City of Van, and Sardur’s Burg. The Mound in its north, extending in the same direction as the old city of Van to the south, covers an area roughly of 46 hectares and has a settlement history sprawling from the Early Bronze Age up to the beginning of 20th century (Fig. 1). The Mound excavations were conducted ..