Urartu
Urartu was the kingdom of the Lake Van basin, a mountainous state that flourished between the 9th and 6th centuries BCE. Its kings built fortresses on rock outcrops, canals and reservoirs to control water and agriculture, and left cuneiform inscriptions in the Urartian language. Van Kalesi (Tušpa) was the capital; Ayanis, Çavuştepe and Toprakkale show the kingdom's military and religious architecture. Urartian metalwork, especially bronze shields, cauldrons and horse trappings, was traded across the Near East. The kingdom was a rival of Assyria and a bridge between Anatolia, the Caucasus and Iran. Its irrigation systems and fortress network shaped the eastern Anatolian landscape long after the state disappeared.
Where to see it
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