Archeological excavations are under way in Van, aimed to reveal traces of Urartu civilization. During excavations a stone with inscriptions was found which is supposed to be a part of the largest temple of Urartians.

Images of the tree of life, winged lion and many others were revealed on Ayanis Fortress built by Rusa II, a king of the Urartian Kingdom who ruled between 685 and 645 B.C.

Excavations of the fortress, 35 km. north of the modern town of Van, helped throw daylight upon history and explore plenty of artworks and artifacts that are already exposed in the museums.

A group of 40 researchers from Ege University carry out works on revealing history of the region 2600 years ago. Researcher from Ege University Mahmut Bilge Basturk stated that the stele found is the longest inscription not only for Van and also for Armenia and Iran, on the territory of which Urartu was situated. It is the only historical monument revealed in ideal condition.

It is reported that the excavations will continue till the end of the month, according to TRT-Russia.