Excavations of Kef Fortress in the New Period
Urartu and Beyond, Volume 1, Mehmet Işıklı,Rafet Çavuşoğlu,Hazal Ocak,Dilara Demirtaş,Alper Aslan & Jan Bailey, Editör, Brepols Publishers , Tournai, ss.139-147, 2026
- Yayın Türü: Kitapta Bölüm / Araştırma Kitabı
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1484/m.araxes-eb.5.151045
- Yayınevi: Brepols Publishers
- Basıldığı Şehir: Tournai
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.139-147
- Editörler: Mehmet Işıklı,Rafet Çavuşoğlu,Hazal Ocak,Dilara Demirtaş,Alper Aslan & Jan Bailey, Editör
- Van Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
The Urartian kingdom, located on the shores of Lake Van with its capital known as Tuşba or Van Fortress, played a significant role in the region between the ninth and seventh centuries bc. The kingdom’s influence spanned eastern Anatolia, northern Iran, western Transcaucasia, and extended southwards to the Zagros and eastern Taurus Mountains. Recent excavations at Kef Fortress have focused on uncovering the architectural layout of the city and repositioning the fallen colossal columns. These efforts have revealed that the central hall housed seven monumental basalt columns, similar to those found in Ayanis Fortress and Karmir Blur. Despite being found intact in the first excavation, these columns had collapsed over approximately fifty years. Efforts to restore the columns included numbering the basalt blocks to determine their original positions. The excavations also identified at least four entrances in the central hall, suggesting access to the surrounding rooms. The palace, located in the west, was constructed in three tiers according to the topography of the fortress. During a period of internal conflict within the Assyrian kingdom, Rusa, the son of Argishti, came to power and initiated extensive architectural projects to leverage the situation to Urartu’s advantage. Relations with the Kimmer peoples were fostered, and strategic cities like Karmir Blur were founded. The king aimed to assert the kingdom’s influence by constructing new cities, canals, and roads, ensuring effective governance both centrally and in distant areas.