Van Fortress

A team of archaeologists has unearthed a castle dating back to the Urartian era in eastern Turkey.

The remains of the castle dating back 2,800 years ago were discovered during an excavation project sponsored by Van Yüzüncü Yıl University on a mountain at an altitude of 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) in the Gürpinar district of eastern Van province.

The new Urartu Museum building in the south of Van Castle was opened in the eastern province of Van, moving from its former premises after receiving damage during earthquakes that rattled the ancient city on Oct. 23 and Nov. 9, 2011.

Archaeologists have unearthed an ancient footprint at the Van Castle in eastern Turkey, believed to have belonged to an Urartian teenager who lived in the area some 3,000 years ago. Click through for the story in photos...

New data obtained during excavations on Van Castle has revealed that Lake Van was much smaller 7,000 years ago and has risen over time to reach its current size. 

A team of 40 scientists from various universities are set to conduct research to unearth the 5,000-year history of Van Fortress in southeast Turkey Excavations around the ancient fortress in the southeastern city of Van, led by the head of Istanbul University's Van Regional History and Archeology Research Center, Professor Erkan Konyar, have recently started to look into the site's 5,000