Kayalıdere: An Urartian Fortress near Varto

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1. What is Kayalıdere?
2. How do you get to Kayalıdere?
3. When is the best time to visit Kayalıdere?
4. What is the history of Kayalıdere?
5. What is Kayalıdere famous for?
6. What can you see at Kayalıdere?
7. Frequently asked questions about Kayalıdere
8. What do the official records say about Kayalıdere?

What is Kayalıdere?

Kayalıdere is the site of an Urartian fortress in Varto district, in the north of Muş province. The inventory also calls it Kale Şehri, the “castle town”. Built on a rocky height in the 8th century BC, it was one of the strongholds that the Urartian kingdom, centred on Van, built to control the valleys and routes of the eastern highlands.

It is best known for what the 1965 excavations found: a small temple, storerooms for wine, a rock-cut tomb and a seated bronze lion, now in Ankara. Today the site is a field of low walls and rock cuttings rather than a developed attraction, and it suits travellers with a particular interest in Urartu.

How do you get to Kayalıdere?

The site is at Kayalıkaya village, about 40 km from Muş and 20 km from Varto, according to the provincial directorate (Muş Culture and Tourism Directorate). You need your own car or a taxi from Muş or Varto, and it helps to ask in the village for directions to the ruins. There is no visitor centre or ticket office.

The nearest airport is Muş Sultan Alparslan Airport, and Muş is a stop on the Lake Van Express between Ankara and Tatvan.

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When is the best time to visit Kayalıdere?

June to September, when village roads are dry and the ground is clear of snow. Varto lies high on the northern side of the plain and winters are long. Bring water and sturdy shoes; the site has no facilities.

What is the history of Kayalıdere?

Kayalıdere was built under the Urartian king Sarduri II, whom the provincial directorate dates to 764–735 BC. Urartu was then at its height, and fortresses such as this one guarded the routes into the Lake Van basin and stored the produce of the surrounding land.

The site was excavated in 1965 by a British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara team led by Seton Lloyd and Charles Burney (Muş Culture and Tourism Directorate). They uncovered the fortress, a temple, a wine store and tombs. In the paved temple courtyard they found a seated bronze lion statuette, buttons, arrowheads, bronze pins and fragments of a belt showing a lion hunt. The cemetery south of the site consists of six chambers linked by a corridor cut into the rock.

The finds were taken to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara, where they are displayed.

Kayalıdere belongs to a wider network. Urartu, whose capital Tushpa stood on the rock of Van, ruled the highlands around Lake Van from the 9th to the 7th century BC and built fortresses on rocky spurs above farmland and river crossings throughout the region. In Muş province alone the provincial directorate lists Urartian sites at Tıkızlı, Bostankale, Dolabaş and Kepenek, where an Urartian inscription on stone was found and read by the epigrapher Mirjo Salvini.

What is Kayalıdere famous for?

• The Kayalıdere bronze lion, one of the best-known Urartian bronzes.
• The temple, of the square tower type typical of Urartian sanctuaries.
• The rock-cut tomb of six chambers off a single corridor.
• Wine storage. Large jars for wine, evidence of the Urartian economy.

What can you see at Kayalıdere?

The fortress walls. Foundations and lower courses of the defences, cut into and built on the rock.

The temple area. The site of the small temple where the bronze lion was found, set in a courtyard.

The rock-cut tomb. On the south side, a corridor cut into the rock leads to six chambers.

The landscape. The fortress commands views over the surrounding valley, which shows why the Urartians chose the spot.

To see the finds, visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara; the Muş Museum also displays Urartian objects from the province.

Frequently asked questions about Kayalıdere

What do the official records say about Kayalıdere?

It is in Kayalıkaya village, 40 kilometres from central Muş and 20 kilometres from Varto district. In the city, which is an Urartian settlement, official excavations carried out in 1965 brought to light works such as a temple, a fortress, a wine cellar and tombs.

The fortress, dated to the reign of the Urartian king Sarduri II, is quite solid. In its courtyard, in the stone-paved temple, a seated bronze lion statue of the 7th century BC, buttons, arrowheads, bronze pins and belt fragments depicting a lion hunt were found. The cemetery to the south of the site consists of six rooms connected by a corridor carved into the rock. Various objects found in these rooms are displayed in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Muş Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)