Van Castle
Date of foundation: 9-7 BC.
Founder: Sarduri I
Status: Protected by the state
Working days: No days off
Opening hours: 11:00-17:00
The Van Fortress, also known as the Van Citadel, was built in the 9th-7th centuries BC, located in the capital of the Urartian kingdom in Tushpa. The castle ruins are located in the western part of the modern city ofVan, east of Lake Van. From here are the ruins of Tushpa.
This castle had defensive significance. The lower part of the walls of the citadel was made of stone, and the remaining parts were made of brick.
Similar fortresses and defensive structures were built throughout the countryUrartu, but the Van fortress was the largest of its kind. The castle was 1800 meters long and 80 meters wide. Such buildings were built especially on hills and rocks, which helped control the surrounding area from there.
Over time, the castle walls were damaged, and later, until the Middle Ages, new walls and other buildings were built on the site. There are a large number of wedge-shaped inscriptions in different parts of the castle and its surroundings.
Mher’s door is located near the Van Fortress. The names of more than 70 pairs of deities of the Urartian kingdom are engraved on the flattened surface of the rock. Near the fortress is engraved a trilingual inscription of the Akemenid kingXerxesthe Great, dating back to the 5th century BC. e. The inscription is divided into three columns of 27 lines. The text is written in Old Persian, Babylonian and Elamite. This is the only known Achaemenid inscription located outside of Iran.
Over the years, research has been carried out in the fortress, which continues to this day.
