A group of treasure hunters doing illegal digging at Garibin Tepe in Alaköy, 28 kilometers northwest of Van city center, accidentally made an important historical discovery. Continuing their excavations in this region, which is located up to 5 meters deep underground, treasure hunters reached a structure with frescoes on its walls.

A group of treasure hunters, who thought this place was a church, reported the situation to the Wang Museum Directorate. A video was also shot during the opening ceremony in Garibin Tepe. However, according to experts, a much more important discovery could have been made here instead of the church.

Assoc. Prof. is a lecturer at Istanbul University and teaches courses on Urartian history, ancient Anatolia and ancient Mesopotamia. Independent Turkish asked Konyar, who has done extraordinary scientific research on the Urartians, to examine the images taken from the building in Garibin Tepe and comment.

According to the images, B.C. Stating that there is an Urartian temple from the 7th century, Konar said that the Urartian king II. He stated that there was a castle belonging to Rusa and that the structure found might be related to this castle. Konyar said that this place appeared to be a cult temple complex dedicated to the Urartian god Haldi.

Explaining that they encountered the Urartian temple in its original and intact state for the first time, Konar said: “Perhaps, thanks to this structure, we will be able to understand what the Urartian temple was like for the first time.”

Noting that the building was found in its original state, according to the images, Konyar said: “We can see that the murals are still standing. Anyone who enters can see the situation of this place 2,700 years ago. This is very impressive. As far as I understand from the video, this is a large building. The motifs in the murals emphasize the religious element. There is also a humanitarian reason. It is absolutely very important for treasure hunters to find this place. I hope archaeologists and the museum will take matters into their own hands and save this place. This will be an important aspect in understanding Urartian. “I think this will have an impact all over the world,” he said.

“It is important how much material treasure hunters extract from here.” Konyar said, adding that Urartian temples are very rich in terms of finds.

Emphasizing that shields, helmets and weapons dedicated to the God Haldi can be found, Konyar said that Urartian artifacts may contain very unexpected and impressive things, and that he hopes nothing will happen to them. “Treasure hunters usually report to the relevant authorities after destroying the places they find, and this is how they become legal,” he said.

“This is a great invention. In the videos you showed, this area looks very impressive and wonderful,” said Urartian expert Assoc. Dr. Erkan Konyar said:

“I have been excavating for 30 years, but this is the first time I have come across such a group of finds. Such areas are very sensitive. They probably came here through a tunnel dug from below. No matter how expert you are, when you dig here, destruction is inevitable. The most beautiful frescoes of Urartu are exhibited here. There have never been any before. There are unseen murals in the center of Urartu. They are “unique”.

Work needs to start here after the right conditions and technology are found. We have seen wonderful finds destroyed on many previous occasions. This destruction also occurred during the excavations in Ajanis Castle. Large areas were destroyed due to natural conditions. Perhaps it would be better to close such areas and leave them unexcavated. Fresco is a very delicate group of finds and the work requires serious examination. This may cause unpredictable damage. “Perhaps it would be better to fill this area under the supervision of the museum and protect it with security measures.”