Deep below a quiet hill, archaeologists have stepped into a hidden space where time feels suspended. Beneath Garibin Tepe, they revealed Urartian murals inside a secret underground structure sealed for nearly three thousand years. Faded colors still cling to the walls. Shapes appear in the glow of work lamps and suggest solemn movement. Each trace hints at ceremonies and beliefs that remained buried until careful hands finally returned to this forgotten chamber.
A secret chamber where Urartian murals survived for millennia
The Garibin Tepe site is situated in the Urartian Kingdom’s historic center, amid the untamed highlands that encircle Lake Van. Known for its intricate irrigation systems, fortress walls, and expert metalwork, this power ruled the region from the ninth to the sixth century BCE. Up until now, its colorful and ritualistic inner world was nearly invisible.
The hill above the complex once passed for a simple mound of stone and soil. Everything changed when looters opened a narrow tunnel and drew official attention in 2022. Once that illegal work was stopped, a scientific team led by Professor Mehmet Işıklı took control and began careful excavation. Their work turned a crime scene into a major archaeological project.
Expanding the shaft and removing debris, the researchers came on an enormous underground structure, cut into the slope. Passageways connect a series of rooms, some with mudbrick walls and carefully shaped ceilings. On the walls and ceilings, Urartian murals are presented in long bands, and the researchers think this may have functioned as a royal shrine, or possibly as a sacred room underground for specific religious activities.
Why the Urartian murals of Garibin Tepe are so rare
Urartu is usually known from stone remains, fortress ruins, and inscriptions copied by Assyrian enemies. Traces of painting are extremely scarce, so specialists long feared that its wall art had vanished for good. For them, these Urartian murals fill a painful gap and finally show how color and image shaped sacred space.
Earlier, only two other sites preserved similar wall paintings. In the 1950s, fragments were discovered at Altıntepe, close to Erzincan, and another shaky glimpse was provided at Arin Berd, in present-day Armenia. Time, erosion, and exposure all affected both sets of paintings. Their surfaces cracked, and pigments faded, even under care. Garibin Tepe offers a striking contrast.
Because this complex lies underground and stayed sealed for centuries, its walls had unusual protection. The enclosed volume shielded the paintings from wind, light, and sudden temperature changes. As a result, many figures still show clear outlines and strong color tones. A mound once dismissed as barren now stands among the most important Near Eastern sites for ancient painting.
Art, ritual and space woven into a single story
Inside the chambers, three horizontal bands of painting wrap around the walls like a continuous story. The upper zone shows divine figures and symbols linked to the heavens. The middle band presents human actors, perhaps priests or rulers. The lower strip features animals that may have played roles in sacrifice or myth. This layout hints at a structured view of the cosmos.
Pigments made from organic and mineral sources cling to the mudbrick surface despite their age. Reds, earthy ochres, and deep blacks still mark outlines and garments. For Professor Işıklı, this combination of bold color and precise drawing changes how scholars picture Urartian taste and skill in design. It shows that painters mastered both natural dyes and complex visual planning.
Many experts see strong ties with Mesopotamian and Anatolian imagery, yet the results remain clearly local. This tripartite structure may encode ideas about sky, earth, and animal life and how these realms connect during ritual. Through these Urartian murals, art, architecture, and ceremony merge into a single narrative path that guided ancient visitors as they moved through the complex.
Protecting a fragile underground masterpiece for the future
Because the site is both unique and delicate, conservation now stands at the center of the project. Iron supports were positioned beneath ceilings by engineers to reduce the possibility of collapse. In order to maintain a stable microclimate, sensors monitor temperature and humidity. Only small teams with stringent safety regulations are allowed access to the deepest rooms.
Specialists from the Istanbul Restoration and Conservation Laboratory visit often to inspect the surfaces. They study salt formation, flaking pigment, and hairline cracks. Their reports guide every decision on cleaning, consolidation, and lighting. Even simple steps, like how long a lamp stays on near a wall, are planned to limit stress on the paint.
Designers are building a sizable tent above ground to cover the mound and protect it from precipitation and snowmelt. This shelter should make future seasons safer for both workers and wall paintings. While Işıklı insists that the human story behind these Urartian murals matters most, he also knows that careful planning today will decide what survives for the next century.
How this hidden complex rewrites the story of the Urartian kingdom
For decades, the Urartian Kingdom seemed to many people like a civilization built only from stone. Its image depended on fortress plans, weapon hoards, and canals cut into rock. These traces proved its engineering power, yet they said little about the emotions, myths, and private rituals that shaped daily life and royal belief.
Garibin Tepe moves that picture into new territory. As excavations proceed, archaeologists expect to find more rooms, painted scenes, and possibly inscriptions or ritual objects. These findings may reveal details about the complex’s users, usage patterns, and types of ceremonies. Some researchers suspect a royal palace annex, while others see a hidden sanctuary.
Standing on the hill today, visitors can only see the far-off shimmer of Lake Van and dry slopes. The real marvel is beneath, where the cool air of the tunnels seems to stop time. There, hands that worked almost thirty centuries ago still speak through the line and color of Urartian murals spread across the walls.
An ancient painted world still speaking to us today
As future seasons uncover new chambers and details, the underground complex will keep sharpening our view of the Urartian Kingdom. Each preserved figure, each pigment trace, offers clues about how this society linked gods, humans, and animals in a single living order. Thanks to these Urartian murals, a kingdom once half silent now speaks again in color.
