Anatolian Civilizations and Historical Sites - TEDA

ANATOLIAN CIVILIZATIONS:10x19 antik kentler 8/1/11 10:50 AM Sayfa
Van Castle
The principalities along Lake Van which were called the Nairi land in the
9 th century BC united under a single state. Sarduri I who stood out as the
king of Urartu in 840 BC left the former capital Arzashkun and relocated
the capital city to Tushpa (Van). He constructed Van Castle and started to
rule his state from here. Van Castle rises on the foreland of Mount Erek
which spans the plain and measures 1500 m. in length, 70-80 m. width and
100 m. in height. Among the structures of various characters, which
started to be built during Sarduri I and which were continued by the
subsequent kings, some still exist today.
To the south of the upper city of Tushpa is a cliff which is so steep that no
threat would come from here. On the northern side, strong defense
systems, built with the help of natural terraces, surround the upper city
and the inner castle, starting from the base. The upper city was also
bordered with two steep trenches on the eastern and western side, dug
into the main rock. The fresh water sources at the bottom of the rocky area
are accessed through the stairs engraved in the rocks. Among these stairs,
the most well protected stairs were the ones called ‘Bin Merdivenler (A
thousand stairs)’. Even though the center of their government was
relocated to Toprakkale (Rusahinili) in the 7 th century BC during the reign
of King Rusa II, Tushpa was not abandoned, the temples and palaces
continued to exist here in all their glory. Furthermore, Urartian kings
continued to use the title ‘Ruler of Tushpa’.
At the north western end of Van Castle is the Sardur’s Battlement. This
battlement is known as Mad›r Burcu, where there are 6 identical epitaphs
on which Sarduri I told of the establishment of this place. After he
introduced himself as the “Sarduri, the King of all Kings, son of Lutipri” he
stated, “I brought these stones from the city of Alniunu and constructed
this wall.” The limestone blocks weighing 8-10 tons have been
commissioned by Sarduri to be brought from the stone quarries in Edremit
which is 17 km. from Van. On the long walls to the east and west, the
epitaph of Sarduri was repeated 6 times at different levels. On this epitaph
written in Assyrian cuneiform script, Sarduri, with the title ‘the King of
the Universe’, declared that he was not afraid of the Assyrians at all, as
if challenging them, and that they were at the same level. This
The Urartu Fortress of Van.
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