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Çavuştepe is an archaeological site in Eastern Anatolia dating back to the 8th century BC. It’s located near the town of Gürpınar, about 25 kilometers southeast of Van.
Introduction to Çavuştepe
Çavuştepe, also known as Sardurihinilli, corresponds to the ancient Urartian fortress of Sardurihurda. It was built during the reign of Urartian king Sarduri II (r. 764 BC – 735 BC). The remains of the fortress are perched on a long ridge overlooking the Gürpınar Plain.
The fortress was destroyed in the 7th century BC, probably by the Scythians or Medes. A small settlement existed on the site during the Middle Ages. A cuneiform inscription was discovered there in 1884 and taken to Vienna to be studied.
In 1916, Georgian historian Nikolai Marr (1864-1934) and Armenian historian Joseph Orbeli (1887-1961) collected artifacts at Çavuştepe. They’re now on display in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia. Charles A. Burney visited in 1956 and published a description of the site and a sketch of the fortress. Turkish archaeologist Afif Erzen (1913-2000) excavated Çavuştepe between 1961 and 1986. Excavations continue to take place today.
According to Armenian folklore, the fortress is called Haykaberd and was built by Hayk, the legendary founder of the Armenian nation.
Visiting Çavuştepe
Çavuştepe is open daily and there’s no admission (as of August 2024). Access is via a one-lane gravel road off the main highway. Check the official website for more info. There was no staff on-site when we visited and the only facilities are a couple picnic tables and trash bins. It’s about a 450 meter walk from the parking lot through the Lower Castle to the end of the ridge. We spent about a half-hour walking to the end and back but didn’t visit the Upper Castle.
Unfortunately, during our visit there was absolutely no information posted. It was nearly impossible to make heads or tails of what we were looking at and had to use our imaginations. Thankfully, there’s some detailed information from reliable sources online but I’m still not sure all the photos below are labeled correctly. My apologies for any mistakes. Hopefully the Turkish government will improve the site and make it more visitor-friendly.
Lower Castle
From the parking lot, the trail leads west along the ridge through the Lower Castle. The first interesting thing you’ll see are the walls, which consist of huge blocks that were put together without mortar.
Next are a series of reconstructed mud brick walls. Most of the rooms were part of a residential area. At the end of the structures are also 2 large storage halls where 100 jugs were found. Some of them even contained grain.
Temple of Irmushini
Continuing west, the next structure you’ll see is a temple dedicated to the god Irmushini. It was partially constructed using basalt blocks and measures 10 x 10 meters. According to two sources, the interior of the temple was once decorated with murals featuring floral and geometric motifs in blue, red, black, and white. Nearby is what appears to be a drain or press of some sort.
Just left of the entrance to the temple is a dedicatory cuneiform inscription. It reads:
This temple is dedicated to the god Irmushini; I, Sarduri, son of Argishti, constructed it in a great feat when I took the throne in my father’s place. Sarduri speaks: the rock was solid and nothing was built here. I, Ḫaldi, built this great temple to the god Irmushini and also a great fortress. I built a canal from the Gugunaini (Hoşap River), I erected vineyards, plowed fields; I built a new city here, created great monuments, established the name of Sardurihinili. Sarduri speaks: life and glory, as well as rule, power, strength, and happinness to Sarduri, son of Argishti, from Khaldi, from the Khaldian gates, and from the god Irmushini. Sarduri, the powerful king, the great king, the king of Biainili, ruler of the city of Tushpa (Van).
Palace
Further along are structures related to the palace. First are storage rooms and kitchens built with mud walls. They’re connected by two long corridors, one above and one below, indicating they were likely multistoried. In the area, we spotted a basin with a drain as well as stone jugs.
At the far west end is the main part of the palace, which was mostly built with stone or into the bedrock. In the middle are cisterns covered by grates.
Finally, at the far west end of Çavuştepe are spectacular views of the Gürpınar Plain. Supposedly the oldest known toilet in the world is also there but we didn’t see it.
Upper Castle
The Upper Castle takes up the eastern section of the site. It’s rectangular in size, measuring roughly 90 x 55 meters, and surrounded by fortifications and ditches. Within the walls you’ll find a square temple measuring 12.5 x 12.5 meters dedicated to the Urartian god Ḫaldi. The temple featured a portico. There were other religious structures in the Upper Castle as well.
