Turkey opens burial chambers of Urartian King Argishti

Dalla nostra cara amica Annette di Los Angeles che ringraziamo...:
La Turchia appre per la prima volta al pubblico le camere funerarie del Re Urarteo Argishti e della sua famiglia nella provincia orientale di Van.
Arghishti I fondò nel 782 la città di Erepuni l'attuale capitale dell'Armenia, Yerevan ........
http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_print.php?id=68115
http://www.worldbulletin.net/ , printed on 07.01.2011.
Turkey opens burial chambers of Urartian King Argishti
Burial chambers of Urartian King Argishti and his family in the western wing of the ancient castle in the eastern province of Van was opened for the first time.

Burial chambers of Urartian King Argishti and his family in the western wing of the ancient castle in the eastern province of Van was opened for the first time.
Anadolu Ajansi (A.A) took photographs and video of the burial chambers which were closed to visitors.
Centered around the Lake Van in the eastern Turkey, the Urartian Kingdom ruled from the mid 9th century BC till its defeat by Media in the early 6th century BC. The most splendid monuments of the Urartian Kingdom take place in Van since the city was the capital of the kingdom.

Built on a rocky peak, the castle, one of the most significant samples of the Urartian architecture, was brought to daylight during excavations headed by lecturer Altan Cilingiroglu of the Ege University. The castle draws hundreds of Turkish and foreign visitors each year.

Argishti I was the sixth known king of the ancient kingdom, reigning from 786 BC to 764 BC. As the son and the successor of Menua, he continued the series of conquests initiated by his predecessors. Victorious against Assyria, he conquered the northern part of Syria and made Urartu the most powerful state in the post-Hittite Near East.

His burial chamber in the west wing of the Van Castle is composed of five separate sections. There are Urartian inscriptions on the walls.


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From Wikipedia,

Argishti I was the sixth known king of the ancient kingdom of Urartu, reigning from 785 BC to 763 BC. He founded the citadel of Erebuni in 782 BC, which is the present capital of Armenia, Yerevan.

Argishtis built the Erebuni Fortress in 782 BC, and the fortress of Argishtikhinili in 776 BC.

Some linguists believe that the name Argištiše has Indo-European etymology (Armenian). Compare Armenian արեգ (translit. areg) – “sun deity”, “sun”.

Annette Melikian