An Urartian irrigation canal in the Gürpınar Plain, Van, Eastern Turkey

Abstract

One of the most remarkable building projects carried out during the reign of the Urartian king Sarduri II (755–730 BC) was the construction of the Sardurihinili (Çavuştepe) fortress, 20 km south of Tushpa, the Urartian capital, in Eastern Turkey. In the Urartian inscription on the Çavustepe Irmushini Temple, there is mention of vineyards and gardens that were irrigated by means of a channel bringing water from the Gugunaini stream. About 3 km south of the Sardurihinili fortress, there are the remains of a large Urartian irrigation system. A canal constructed from the Güzelsu (Hoşap) stream flowed over an artificial bed about 15 km long and was used for irrigation of the 190 km2 Gürpınar Plain. This irrigation system, which was built to increase the agricultural production capacity of the region, could be the channel mentioned in the Çavuştepe inscription. The channel is one of the most remarkable and recently discovered Urartian mastery in water management.