The Waters of Lake Van Withdrawn, Urartian Period Worship Area Revealed
As a result of the withdrawal of the lake in Van’s Erciş district, three niches (cavities in the wall), rock-cut pillars and tombs carved into the bedrock floor were unearthed in the open-air worship area of Van. Urartian period.
With the effect of global warming, evaporation and the decrease in precipitation, many structures that have been under water for years are coming to light in Lake Van, where a decline of nearly 2 kilometers has been experienced in some parts.
The sarcophagus was revealed
In the Madavank locality of the Çelebibağı District of Erciş, there are settlements belonging to the Urartian period, and 3 “T” shaped niches, rock-cut pillars and sarcophagus-shaped tombs in the main rock in the open-air worship area. It was found as excavated into the bedrock base. Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, Faculty of Letters, Head of Archeology Department Prof. Dr. Rafet Çavuşoğlu and Van Museum Director Fatih Arap went to the area where the waters receded and examined the unearthed structures.
“IT WAS THE FIRST TIME”
Çavuşoğlu said that the remains of some structures that were submerged for years after the withdrawal of Lake Van can be seen, and that there was an Urartian port with 11 steps carved into the rock before. Explaining that “T”-shaped sacred places of worship emerged in the lake with seclusion, Çavuşoğlu said: “T-shaped niches, as we know from Van Castle, are places of worship that are at walking level and open to the bedrock. The most important feature of these places is that people believe in these areas. These are the areas where they come to perform their rituals and leave the liquid drinks they dedicate to their gods or the objects they dedicate to their gods. They have been found side by side for the first time ever. With the receding waters of Lake Van in recent years, structures belonging to the Urartian period have taken place on the sides of the lake. A lot of archaeological finds began to be made to come out.”
USED AS A TEMPLE
Explaining that cemeteries carved into the bedrock in the region have also come to light, Çavuşoğlu said, “We saw people buried in tombs, large and small, carved into the bedrock. aforementioned. Concerning the region, which was previously registered as a 1st degree archaeological site, Fatih Arap said, “This is a place of worship. With the receding waters of Lake Van, we see a carved tomb structure that we know in Urartian literature. used the phrase.
