Ancient human footprint found in Van

VAN

An ancient human footprint belonging to a civilization from 3,000 years ago has been uncovered at a castle in the southeastern province of Van. 

The footprint belongs to the Urartu, an Iron Age civilization that reigned in eastern Anatolia in the mid-ninth century B.C. for some 250 years. 

Erkan Konyar, an ancient history professor at Istanbul University History, told state-run Anadolu Agency the 26-centimeter-long footprint, which fit a modern shoe size 36, was found at the Van Castle and belonged to a noble. The area around Van is noted for Urartu ruins. 

“We can identify the structure of the footprint after examinations. The footprint was cut and removed from its place. Following the examinations, it will be delivered to a museum. It has a very important moral meaning because it belongs to the Urartians,” said Konyar, adding that the footprint would be examined by anthropologists. 

For the first time, the excavations, which have been ongoing since 2015, have found a mark made by a human in the region, he added. 

Van, which was the capital of the Urartian kingdom in the ninth century B.C., has often been called “the Pearl of the East” because of the beauty of its surrounding landscape. 

It is located on the eastern shore of Lake Van, the largest lake in Turkey, and is also home to Van Castle.