Van Castle is a fortification structure that was built by the Urartian Kingdom out of stone and has a bird's eye view of the Urartian capital Tuspa. Located on the shores of Lake Van and 5 km from the city of Van, this castle was built on a steep cliff. The building is 1800 m long, 120 m wide and 80 m high. The castle was founded in the 9th century BC by Sarduri, son of Lutipri, between 840 BC and 825 BC. A large number of such fortifications are found in present-day Armenia, Turkey and Iran. Generally, such structures are built in the rocks and slopes that are exposed to the earth.
These fortresses were used as a means of occupation of the region, rather than a defense against foreign armies. The ruins of this fortress stand outside the modern town of Van, where they support walls built in medieval times.
