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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Bostankaya Kalesi |
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Type:
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Fortress |
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Altitude:
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1598 m |
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Region:
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Eastern Anatolia |
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Province:
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Mus |
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District:
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Malazgirt |
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Village:
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Bostankaya |
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Investigation Method:
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Survey |
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Period:
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Middle Iron Age |
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| Location: It is located on the southwest of Bostankaya Village, 18 km northeast of Malazgirt District in Mus Province. |
| Geography and Environment: |
| History: |
| Research and Excavation: It was discovered during the research conducted by C. Burney in 1956. Later, it was re-studied by A. Özfirat. It was visited during the survey conducted by Biber-Çavusoglu in 2011 [Biber-Çavusoglu 2013:307-308]. |
| Stratigraphy: |
| Small Finds: Resting on a natural rock, it is a typical Urartian fortress. Channels extend transversally. The remains are located on the northern and western sections, and no fortifications are needed on the southern and eastern sections as they are surrounded by cliffs. The wall on the lower section of the fortress stretches up to the southern skirt of the fortress. Probably it wasn't erected for defence purposes. On the northern end of the fortress is a stone-cut platform. There are rock stairs. Also found are niches made for sacred purposes. It is believed that the lower parts of the fortress had been inhabited. 2011 studies: Its south and west sections are highly steep and rocky. All the rock façades were formed as stairs. In the upper section of the castle the city wall of which could not be preserved up to date, there are two rectangular planned cisterns located 11 m far from each other. The one on the southeast section measures 1.20x1.60x2.20 m in dimension and 1.50 m in depth. The other one is 1.00x1.50 m in dimension and 1 m in depth. A trapezoid planned open-air sanctuary that was carved into the bedrock is located on the east skirt of the castle. The sanctuary measures 21x31 m. On the west section of the rectangular area in the center, there are three steles placed asymmetrically in front of the rock façade with a height of 4.30 m built by straightening the bedrock. These bases measure 0.60 x 1.20 m, 0.70 x 1.30 m and 0.70 x 1.10 m in dimension and 0.30 m in depth. They were aligned from south to north. There is a flat area with a height of 2.50 m that is accessible by a stairs with three steps on the east section of this area. Such in the castle, there are rock stairs in some pf the places of this area. A single row of walls erected with semi-worked quite large stones extend on the south and west skirts of the castle. These walls are located vertically to the castle and they were built parallel to each other. It is suggested that these walls belong to some structures, the functions of which are not clear [Biber Çavusoglu 2013:307-308]. There is a necropolis, which was exposed during the illicit diggings, located 250 m south of Bostankaya Castle. The necropolis consists of graves, some of which has masonry walls. However, the graves have been severely damaged and their plan and type are not clear. Pothsherds belonging to Midle IA were recovered from the surface. Both the architecture and pottery indicate that it was built in Urartian Period [Biber Çavusoglu 2013:307-308]. |
| Remains: |
| Interpretation and Dating: |
