Van Castle (Tushpa)

Its story

The castle, on a steep rock mass about 1.3 km long on the east shore of Lake Van, was founded in the 9th century BC, in the time of the Urartian King Sarduri I, as the center of Tushpa, the capital of the kingdom. Platforms carved into the rock, wall foundations, open-air cult areas, rock tombs where kings were buried and royal annals carved into the rock bear the traces of the Urartian state order. On the south face, about 20 meters above the ground, there is a trilingual cuneiform inscription of the Achaemenid King Xerxes I. After the Urartians, the castle was also used in the Persian, Armenian, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman periods; in the upper part are the remains of the Horhor Madrasa, where Said Nursi taught. Looking from the top, the lake lies on one side and the ruins of Old Van City on the other.

Period

9th century BC (Urartian)

Admission

Paid (Müzekart valid)

Getting there

~5 km west of central Van, Kale neighborhood

Visit duration

1.5–2 hours

Trip purpose

• Photography
• Day trip

Location

38.50293, 43.34054

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