Free Republic

The paving over of a 3,000-year-old tumulus, a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave, in the eastern city of Van has prompted an outcry from the Provincial Culture and Tourism Directorate. Stating that the road was unnecessarily built, officials said: "We have halted the work on the road. The road and asphalt will be removed and the tumulus will be rehabilitated." Before the road was built by the municipality, the directorate had planned to start archaeological work in the historical tumulus, which dates from the Urartu period, along with work in the historical Van Castle. "A road...

BOFFINS have discovered the ruins of a 3,000-year old castle underwater – and believe they have finally found what they’ve been looking for. Archaeologists who have been searching Lake Van – the second largest lake in Turkey – for decades have discovered what they believe is a lost city. The castle is thought to be an Iron Age relic of the Urartu civilisation – also called the Kingdom of Van – which lived in the area from the 6th to the 9th century BC. The remarkable discovery was made by archaeologists from the Van Yüzüncü Yıl University and a team...

Baked clay tablets from ancient Assyria, dating back as much as 4,000 years, could reveal the locations of 11 'lost cities' in modern-day Turkey. Harvard researchers analysed tablets found in the ancient city of Kanesh, the 12,000 cuneiform trade records include business transactions, accounts, seals and contracts. The researchers used mathematical models based on the price of goods and how frequently goods travelled between trade hubs to track down the locations of the ancient cities. Researchers reconstructed an economic network of trade goods such as wool, wine and precious metals across the Anatolian plateau in the 19th Century BC. The...

Sometimes legends are true. Sunken cities are typically the stuff of legend, but now archaeologists have found the real thing hiding deep within Lake Van in Turkey. After a decade of searching the Middle East's second largest lake, the home of a lost kingdom has been found hundreds of metres beneath the surface. Archaeologists from the Van Yüzüncü Yıl University announced the incredible discovery - a vast 3,000-year-old castle preserved deep within the lake in amazing condition. The researchers worked closely with an independent team of divers to find their prize. Lost underwater cities and castles are a popular motif...

Burial chambers of Urartian King Argishti and his family in the western wing of the ancient castle in the eastern province of Van was opened for the first time. The Anatolia news agency took photographs and video of the burial chambers which were closed to visitors. Centered around the Lake Van in the eastern Turkey, the Urartian Kingdom ruled from the mid 9th century BC till its defeat by Media in the early 6th century BC. The most splendid monuments of the Urartian Kingdom take place in Van since the city was the capital of the kingdom. Built on a...