Urartu Castle walls unearthed in TurkeyJuly 31, 2015 - 12:37 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - After 2,700 years the walls of Urartu Castle have been unearthed in the Ayanis neighborhood of the eastern province of Van in Turkey, Asbarez reports. Excavations at the Urartu Castle site, situated 24 miles from Van, have been ongoing for 25 years. After the discovery of the temple, this year the walls, a defining part of the castle, have been unearthed. Some 25 years after its construction, the castle was damaged by an earthquake and fire, which was followed by the dismantlement of the adobes. The castle was later closed, head of the excavation team Dr. Mehmet Isikli said. “Excavations at the castle have been going on for years. We have regained many important artifacts for the museum. However, 2,700 years after the construction of the castle the most enticing part of the castle, the walls, have been discovered. This made us very excited, as even though these walls witnessed great earthquakes, their architecture remained quite robust and unchanged. Also we learn so much about the history of Urartu from the walls. Lastly, even the earthquake in 2011 with a magnitude of 7.2 didn’t harm the building. The Ayanis Castle is full of surprises,” Isikli said. Photo: DHA Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Residents Of border villages protest as Armenia, Azerbaijan agree on delimitation Residents of several Armenian communities in the northeastern Tavush province began protests late on Friday. Up to 10% cashback from GetTransfer with IDBank cards IDBank clients who make their booking on GetTransfer will receive an exclusive cashback. European Parliament to discuss repression in Azerbaijan The European Parliament will discuss repression of civil society in Azerbaijan on April 24 PACE wants concessions from Azerbaijan to accept Baku back A PACE co-rapporteur said that Azerbaijani authorities must make certain concessions so that the country can return to PACE. |