Ayanis
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Rusahinili Eidurukai ("The City of Rusa in front of Mount Eiduru") | |
 Inscription of the fortress of Ayanis | |
  Shown within Turkey | |
| Alternative name | Ayanis Kalesi, Ağartı Kalesi |
|---|---|
| Location | Van, Turkey |
| Coordinates | 38°42′30″N 43°12′41″E / 38.7083055466°N 43.2113185884°E[1] |
| Type | fortress, temple, outer city |
| Area | 80 ha (200 acres), thereof the fortress ca. 150 x 400 meters[2] |
| History | |
| Builder | Rusa II |
| Founded | 673-72 BC |
| Cultures | Urartu |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1989-today |
| Public access | No |
Ayanis (Turkish: Ayanis Kalesi) is an Urartian archaeological site close to lake Van, Turkey. It was originally built as a fortress by Urartian king Rusa II and named after him Rusahinili Eidurukai ("The City of Rusa in front of Mount Eiduru"). The site was occupied during the Iron Age II period and then again in the Middle Ages between the tenth and eleventh century.
Ayanis was the last fortress built by Urartian king Rusa II around 673/72 BC. It was then known under the name Rusahinili Eidurukai ("The City of Rusa in front of Mount Eiduru") according to an inscription found in front of the monumental gate (Mount Eiduru can be identified with the nearby Mount Süphan).[3]
Between 653 and 650 BC, an earthquake destroyed the fortress and the outer town, with additional destruction caused by the fires from the furnaces within the settlement.[4]
The site was again occupied during the Middle Ages between the tenth and eleventh centuries CE.[2]
