About Çavuştepe
Overlooking the Gürpınar Plain, Çavuştepe is the Urartian fortress of Sardurihinili, founded by King Sarduri II. Temples, a palace, storerooms and cisterns in its upper and lower fortresses reveal Urartu's military, economic and religious organisation.
History
Sarduri II built Çavuştepe in the mid-eighth century BCE to control routes to the south. Mudbrick fortifications on basalt foundations enclosed two principal sections. Temples, administrative rooms and large storage jars document the central management of grain and liquids. Inscriptions record the king's building projects. The fortress lost its function as Urartu weakened; later use included burials and limited settlement.
Highlights and principal structures
- Upper and lower fortresses
- Temple of Haldi
- Temple of Irmushini
- Palace and administrative rooms
- Storerooms with pithoi
- Cisterns
- Urartian inscriptions
Historical period
Urartian