Experts begin cleaning artifacts found at Ayanis Castle in eastern Türkiye | Partners | Belarus News | Belarusian news | Belarus today | news in Belarus | Minsk news | BELTA
VAN, 25 September (BelTA — Anadolu) — Experts started to clean the
artifacts found at Ayanis Castle in eastern Türkiye, where excavation
work has been ongoing for 37 years.
Artifacts included three
bronze shields and one bronze helmet dedicated to Haldi, one of the
three chief deities of Urartu Kingdom. The castle in the Tusba district
of Van province was built by Urartian King Rusa II.
The
excavation and restoration work has been ongoing for 37 years as the
castle is among the most magnificent structures of the Iron Age Kingdom
of Urartu with its ancient decorations, adobe walls, and stone
carvings.
This year, a team of experts, including
anthropologists, archaeologists, urban planners, art historians, and
restorers, are taking part in the excavation under the direction of
Mehmet Isikli, an archeology professor at Ataturk University.
The team has intensified their work around the Haldi Temple, one of the holiest places of the Urartu period.
They
have begun restoration, conservation, and preliminary cleaning of the
artifacts. Once completed, these items will be transferred to the Van
Museum.
Speaking to Anadolu, Isikli said they encountered a rich
collection of findings during their work on the ground floor of a
three-story structure.
«We discovered three bronze shields, one
helmet, and fragments of inscriptions written in Urartian cuneiform in
the excavated pottery. These are very valuable artifacts,” Isikli said.
«They
are significant for the written information and documentation they
provide. They showcase the level of metal and mining technology achieved
by the Urartians,» he added.
