Prehistoric Armenia

This year’s works in the north part of the Van Castle revealed important data on social and cultural life of Urartian people. A trade mandate is among the interesting findings in the excavation

The stelas and stone circles in the necropolis area of the Urartian Kingdom in Van is called the ‘Stonehenge of Anatolia’ because of its similarity to the structure in Britain.

Constructed by the Urartian King Menua in the eastern province of Van’s Gürpınar district to carry water to the city center, the Şamran channel is one of the most important surviving pieces of architecture by the Urartian’s.

Van’s Yüzüncü Yıl University has made a catalogue for the return of some 200 smuggled Urartian artifacts from foreign museums, and delivered it to the Culture and Tourism Ministry Directorate of Monuments and Museums.