Around 3,000 years ago, the eastern bank of Lake Van was home to the capital of an ancient civilization. This was the Urartu kingdom, which included parts of what is now Turkey, Iran, and Armenia. Many characteristics of this civilization are still unknown today due to a lack of reliable sources. Nonetheless, historians have created a wide image of the region and its people.
Urartu was once divided into multiple kingdoms that later amalgamated to become a single entity. Urartu had formed itself as a distinct province by the 9th century B.C. And, while the reason for this is unknown, it could have been in response to the Assyrian kingdom’s threat.