Van Fortress 🇹🇷

When you visit the Fortress of Van, also known as the Van Citadel, you are stepping onto the largest stone fortification of its kind, originally constructed by the ancient kingdom of Urartu between the 9th and 7th centuries BC. Perched dramatically on a steep-sided bluff just west of modern Van and east of Lake Van, this massive site overlooks the ruins of Tushpa, the ancient Urartian capital. As you explore, you will marvel at its unique construction, featuring lower wall sections made from unmortared basalt topped with mud bricks that later supported medieval-era walls.

The fortress was held by numerous empires throughout history, including the Achaemenids, Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans, and Russians. Among its fascinating features, you can discover a rock-carved "royal stable" that once held oxen and sheep for sacrifices to Urartian gods. Look up near the fortress to spot a near-perfect trilingual inscription carved 20 meters high into the rock face by Xerxes the Great in the 5th century BC, displaying Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian texts.

Whether you are fascinated by ancient kingdoms or sweeping regional history, visiting this impressive bluff offers you a profound window into centuries of shifting power in Turkey's Van Province.

What to see at Van Fortress

• Massive Urartian stone fortification overlooking ancient Tushpa ruins
• Intact 5th-century BC trilingual inscription by Xerxes the Great
• Rock-carved Royal Stable used for ancient animal sacrifices
• Unique masonry combining unmortared basalt and mud bricks
• Historic site controlled by over a dozen successive civilizations

Visiting tips

Look 20 meters up the smoothed rock face near the fortress to view Xerxes the Great's remarkably preserved trilingual inscription in Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian.

How long: 1-2 hours · Best time: Daytime

How to get there & what’s nearby

Van Fortress is easy to reach on Van’s public transport. For where to stay, the weather and full itineraries, see our Van travel guide.