Urartu-era fortress discovered in Muş via satellite imagery

Archaeologist Melik Mirbey Ömeroğlu has identified a massive ancient fortress near Mescidli village in Muş, Turkey, using satellite imagery to detect structural anomalies in the topography. The site covers approximately 120,000 square meters, an area comparable to 17 football fields.

The fortress features a perimeter wall system roughly 1.4 kilometers long, with exterior heights reaching 4 meters and interior heights of about 2 meters. The architecture utilizes cyclopean and polygonal stonework, characteristic of Early Iron Age fortifications. Researchers also identified a circular pit with a 25-meter radius in the southern section, which is believed to have served as a water supply system.

Experts suggest the site is linked to the early period of the Urartu Kingdom and sits on a strategic route used for westward expansion. The discovery may provide new data regarding the early Urartu capital, Arzaşkun. Applications have been submitted to the Van Regional Board for the Protection of Cultural Assets to ensure the site is officially registered and protected for future scientific excavations.