Archaeological Investigation of Göyce Qala: An Urartuian Castle in Maragheh Plain, Northwestern Iran

According to the inscriptions the eastern and southern shores of Lake Urmia were occupied by Urartuian Empire in 9th century B.C. There have been evidences such as the inscribed documents as well as a number of archaeological sites contain in Urartuian materials which all reveals the conquest of Urartuian over the area. Some of these inscriptions give an account of efforts made by Urartuian Kings to consolidate their long term powers as they tried to build various fortifications in the invaided territoried. Göyce Qala in city of Maragheh is one of the castles implying the presence and influence of Urartuian in the area for at least half a century. This paper describes the characteristics of Göyce Qala castle through comparing it with the most well-known Urartuian castles of the neighbor in areas to understand not only the physical patterns of the castle itself but to explain the role of this castle played in the area to extend Urartuian military controls over the area around 810 to 764 B.C.