Public buildings unearthed in Van’s old city

VAN – Anadolu Agency  AA photo

New findings have been obtained during excavations being carried out in the south of Van Fortress in the city of Van in southeast Turkey. 

The findings have discovered the lifestyles of Ottoman-era residents and Ottoman-era architecture.   
    
Collapsed during the Russian occupation in World War I, the old city of Van is home to many structures, and excavations are constantly being conducted to revive them. 

Associate Professor Erkan Konyar, the head of the Van History and Archaeology Research Center at Istanbul University, has led the excavations for seven years. 

The structures reveal the unique and well-planned structure of the old city of Van, and excavators recently uncovered ruins of the Ottoman-era municipality, assembly, court and club of retired soldiers.  

Konyar said that Van, the ancient capital of the Urartian Empire and one of the most important cities in the region throughout the later Ottoman Empire, was multi-cultured and open to the West. He said Russian ceramics and European accessories were found in Van, which was also a major stop on the Silk Road. 

He added that this year’s excavations on an area of 6,000 square-meters had ended. “We as art historians and the Ottoman history experts, have focused on protection and restoration in the last two years. We try to keep the structures alive with passive working method. We will continue until we have a strong protection process,” Konyar said. 

Konyar said the old city of Van is planned to be completely revived in collaboration with the Eastern Anatolian Development Agency (DAKA) Van Museum and Istanbul University, and they are working on projects to give a “living city status” to the field. 

“We want this place to be livable. If it remains like this, it will be. The excavations are mostly carried out in public areas such as the assembly and municipal buildings. The fact that the old city of Van had a unique and well-planned structure was revealed during the excavations. We saw the internal architecture of the southeast region as we proceeded through the center of the city,” he added.

November/07/2016

2,800-year-old Urartian sewage system unearthed in Van

AA photo

An ancient Urartian sewage system, which was first discovered during excavations in 2004 in the Çavuştepe Castle in the eastern province of Van, has been unearthed. 

This year’s works in the castle in the Gürpınar district of Van recently came to an end, after unearthing ancient vineyards, walls, cisterns, temples and palace structures. 

The 2,800-year-old sewage system, which was discovered in the castle in 2004, was finally unearthed under the structures in the western part of the castle. The sewage is one meter in width and 30 meters in length and covered with fine stones. 

The head of the Culture and Tourism Ministry-supported excavations, Rafet Çavuşoğlu, an associate professor in the Archaeology Department of Yüzüncü Yıl University, said the Çavustepe Castle was particularly important in history because it was once located on a major trading route. 

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/new-findings-unearthed-at-knidos-in-western-turkey.aspx?pageID=238&nID=104594&NewsCatID=375

Largest Urartian Museum to open in Turkey's east

The Urartian Museum, the construction of which started in 2012 after the main museum in the city was badly damaged during the major earthquake in the eastern province of Van in 2011, will house thousands of artifacts from the Urartian civilization. 

The museum construction has been continuing within the scope of a support program initiated by the Ministry of Development after the earthquake.

The museum, which will be the largest Urartian Museum in the world, covers an area of 50,000 square meters, 13,000 square meters of which is a closed area. So far, 15.2 million Turkish Liras has been spent on the project. 

A total of 5,000 historic artifacts will be displayed at the museum, which will open when final work is completed after the merchandising tender, due to be held in July. 

Culture and Tourism Provincial Director Muzaffer Aktuğ said the museum, constructed with funding from the Development Ministry and located opposite the Van Fortress, would revive the history of the Urartians. 

Aktuğ said the Urartians, who lived in the Van region 2,500 years ago, declared Van as their capital and the city should have a museum to highlight this heritage. 

“The environmental arrangements of the museum have been completed. Previously, the merchandising tender was made twice but there was no participation. The tender will be made for the third time in July. Surely this time there will be participation. The outer façade of the museum has been completely surrounded by glass. We tried to reflect the magnificent visual of the Van Fortress on the front part of the museum,” he added.

Because the museum has been closed since the earthquake, local and foreign tourists visiting the city have not had a chance to go to the museum and the city has lost vital promotional opportunity. 

“The new Urartian Museum will contribute to the promotion of Van,” he said. 

“Everyone visiting the fortress will also visit the museum. Travel agencies will also include the new museum in their tour programs. We will revive a history of 5,000 years and show it to people. Those who come to Van and see the Urartian Museum will closely observe Urartian history. There will also be an archaeopark for children. It is very important for children to learn about our history,” Aktuğ added.