The Çavuştepe Castle is situated in the Çavuştepe Village of the Gürpınar district, 25 km southeast of Van, on the Van-Hakkâri-Iran highway. The castle was constructed on two hills at the western end of Bol Mountain, in a location that commands both the Gürpınar plain and the roads that pass through the plain. The castle was constructed by Urartu King Sarduri II, who ruled between 764 and 735 BC. During the Urartian period, the castle was named as "Sardurihinili," which translates as "the city of Sardur," in honor of its founder. The castle covers an area of approximately one kilometre in length and is protected by strong walls and two ditches, carved into the rock on the east and west of the walls. The castle is divided into two sections, designated as the "Upper Castle" and the "Lower Castle." The Upper Castle, situated in the eastern section, is comparatively smaller in area than the Lower Castle. It is located on a rectangular area and is surrounded by strong fortifications. Within the fortification wall, there is a square-planned porticoed temple dedicated to the Urartian chief god Haldi and associated religious spaces. The Lower Castle, located to the west, contains a structure known as "Uçkale," which is thought to have served a religious function. In addition, there is a palace and related units such as storage rooms, workshops, kitchens, a toilet, and cisterns. Furthermore, the Lower Castle housed a second temple dedicated to the god Irmushini. The necropolis of the castle is situated approximately 1 km to the north. Prior to 2017, numerous illicit excavations were conducted in the area, resulting in significant damage to the Urartian cemetery. Four distinct grave types were identified within the necropolis: chamber tombs, urn graves, sarcophaguses, and simple earthenware graves.
VAN ÇAVUŞTEPE CASTLE
