Ayanis Fortress’ majesty revealed with its walls

VAN

In the eastern province of Van’s Tuşba district, the majesty of the Urartian-era Ayanis Fortress is becoming more distinct with the walls unearthed during ongoing excavations.

The fortress, built by Urartian King Rusa II on a hill overlooking Lake Van in Tuşba and surviving for centuries with its ornaments, mudbrick walls and stone engravings, stands as one of the most magnificent structures of the Urartian Kingdom.

Excavation work has been continuing to reveal the fortress walls for 37 years. This year, three bronze shields and one bronze helmet dedicated to the Urartians' "supreme deity" Haldi were found.

Led by Atatürk University Archaeology Department Faculty Member Professor Mehmet Işıklı and conducted with a team of anthropologists, archaeologists, city planners, art historians and restorers, the excavations also aim to reveal the fortress’s outer walls.

In the southeastern part of the fortress, where work has been focused on, the walls brought to light for the first time revealed that Urartians frequently used interlocking stones to prevent potential slippage during earthquakes. The goal of the ongoing excavation work is to fully expose the walls and highlight the fortress’s magnificence.

Işıklı said that the work at Ayanis Fortress continues under the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s Legacy for the Future project. He noted that the findings uncovered in the fortress provide new and important information about Urartian history. He stated that they are trying to restore the fortress walls partially uncovered in previous years to their former majestic appearance with a meticulous cleaning effort.

Işıklı explained that the excavations, which began in July, have continued uninterrupted for five months, adding, “This year, a 200-meter section of the city’s citadel [upper city] was opened along with the bedrock. Large, irregular stones were used in the east and north walls, while in the south wall and the monumental gate, we found a completely different technique that perhaps represents the pinnacle of Urartian stone craftsmanship. The walls are expertly crafted everywhere and placed onto the bedrock. The degree of precision in the bedrock reveals the remarkable skill of Urartian stonemasons. For this reason, the Urartians were given the title ‘masters of stones.’”

Noting that the city walls are largely preserved, Işıklı added, “In this respect, we can say that the best-preserved monumental Urartian walls in the world are here. It is even admirable that a five-meter section of the south wall is completely intact. In the excavations that will continue next season, it is planned that the remaining city walls will also be uncovered and certain sections will be comprehensively restored and opened to tourism. The excavation house provided by our Governor’s Office has been crucial to our efforts reaching this stage.”

‘They interlocked the stones’

İlhan Özgür, a master's student in the Archaeology Department at Atatürk University, also noted that the excavations at the fortress, conducted over the past 37 years, have yielded countless artifacts that have contributed significantly to the field of archaeology.

Explaining that the walls were mainly constructed on bedrock, Özgür said: “Our goal is to reveal the continuation of the walls surrounding the fortress and showcasing its majesty. We have made our plans for this, and our excavations continue with excitement. We are uncovering the connection of the walls with the bedrock. The craftsmanship in the basalt stones used in the walls stands out. This craftsmanship is so intricate that it would be challenging to replicate even today. They aimed to build it in a highly majestic manner. To enhance earthquake resistance, they used interlocking stones, connecting the stones to each other, and then built a 17-18 meter wall of mudbrick on top of this foundation.”