Bastam (Urartian Rusai-URU.TUR)
Bastam · Rusai-URU.TUR · Bastam Fortress
Urartian Late (c.685–590 BCE)·Urartian·🇮🇷 West Azerbaijan Province, Northwestern Iran, Iran
About
About Bastam (Urartian Rusai-URU.TUR)
Largest Urartian fortress (8 ha, 700 m enclosure wall, 3 km circuit) founded by Rusa II (c.685 BC) at Bastam near Qarah Zia ed Din, excavated by Wolfram Kleiss. Tripartite citadel with palace, temples (Khaldi temple with inscriptions), storerooms with 70 massive pithoi and outer town. Burnt c.590 BCE by Medes.
Why it mattersKey West Azerbaijan Province, Northwestern Iran sequence for Urartian Late (c.685–590 BCE); urartian provincial capital controlling araxes valley and mede–urartu frontier.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology of Bastam (Urartian Rusai-URU.TUR) relative to neighbouring centres?
Theories
- 01Regional centre hypothesis for West Azerbaijan Province
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.685 BCE by Rusa II
- Period
- Urartian Late (c.685–590 BCE)
- Culture
- Urartian
- Builders
- Urartian communities
- Purpose
- Urartian provincial capital controlling Araxes valley and Mede–Urartu frontier
- Rediscovered
- 20th century survey
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
1960
Foundation/earliest horizon
1980
Major excavations
2020
Conservation/monitoring
On the ground
Structures & features
38.8900° N · 44.9500° E · 1450 m · 2 mapped features
Citadel and Khaldi temple
citadelUpper citadel with palace, Khaldi temple and Rusa basalt stele
38.8902° N · 44.9503° EPithoi storerooms
storeroomLower storerooms with 70 massive pithoi field
38.8898° N · 44.9497° E