Çavustepe 
About 24km/15mi southeast of Van in the Hosap Suyu valley the impressive remains of the Urartian castle and seat of King Sardur II (764-735 B.C.) stand on an isolated ridge. These remains, including the walls and the palace complex with an Urartian "king's toilet", give visitors some notion of Urartian architectural style, although many structures were affected by alterations made in the Middle Ages.
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Must-see attractions nearby:
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The site also offers a superb view over the Gürpinar plain.
The site consists of an upper and lower castle within which lie the remains of a Temple of Chaldi (with porch, column pedestal and an inscription about the artificial irrigation of the surrounding plains), citadel walls, seventh century B.C. workshops, store-rooms and cellar with pithois (storage vessels), cisterns, kitchen, palace with throne room, harem and colonnaded halls. Sardurihinili was destroyed by the Scythians in the seventh century.
The site consists of an upper and lower castle within which lie the remains of a Temple of Chaldi (with porch, column pedestal and an inscription about the artificial irrigation of the surrounding plains), citadel walls, seventh century B.C. workshops, store-rooms and cellar with pithois (storage vessels), cisterns, kitchen, palace with throne room, harem and colonnaded halls. Sardurihinili was destroyed by the Scythians in the seventh century.
