Urartu

The new Urartu Museum building in the south of Van Castle was opened in the eastern province of Van, moving from its former premises after receiving damage during earthquakes that rattled the ancient city on Oct. 23 and Nov. 9, 2011.

Archaeological excavations have been continuing for 30 years in the Ayanis castle, built by the Urartian King Rusa II on a hill overlooking Lake Van in the eastern province of Van. This year's works will focus on revealing the architectural secrets of a 2,700 year-old mystic Haldi temple in the castle.

Police have seized 334 pieces of historical artifacts believed to have belonged to the Urartu period in the eastern province of Van and detained two people in the operation, Demirören News Agency reported on Dec. 30.

A team of archaeologists have unearthed outdoor altar area in eastern Turkey from the Urartu period. Click through for the story in photos...

Archaeological excavations in the Harput Castle in the eastern province of Elazığ have unearthed an Urartian seal. 

Savat, an important handcraft of the Urartians, was vanishing until recently. But the art is now being revived in an atelier by prisoners in a penitentiary in the eastern province of Van. 

Archaeologists have unearthed an ancient footprint at the Van Castle in eastern Turkey, believed to have belonged to an Urartian teenager who lived in the area some 3,000 years ago. Click through for the story in photos...

The construction of the Urartian Museum in the eastern province of Van has been completed and will soon open to display nearly 100,000 artifacts from various civilizations. The former museum suffered damage from earthquakes in 2011. 

An ancient Urartian settlement, rock tombs and a water tunnel have been unearthed by a researcher in the eastern province of Erzurum

Excavations in a Urartian necropolis in the eastern province of Van's Çavuştepe Castle, which has been plundered by treasure hunters in recent years, provide important details about Urartian burial customs.