World’s oldest sewer system found in Van
The find revealed a far more advanced understanding of architecture and
plumbing that had hitherto been known
NTVMSNBC.com
August 23, 2004
August 23 – What is believed to be the world’s oldest first toilet
and sewer system, dating to prehistoric times, has been unearthed in
the eastern Turkish province of Van.
The sewerage system was found by archaeologists working on excavations
at the site of a Urartian castle in Gurpinar region of eastern Turkey.
According to Professor Dr. Oktay Belli, the director of Istanbul
University’s Eurasian Archaeology Institute, the find was of
particular significance. The discovery of a toilet in the western
part of Cavustepe Castle built by Urartian King Sarduri II in 764 BC
pushed back the dating for such systems, he said in an interview with
the Anatolian news agency.
“We revealed that Urartian architects had formed a sewer system before
building the castle. The toilet and sewer system in the castle is
similar to today’s toilets,” the professor said.
The Urartu Kingdom gave great importance to architecture,” Belli said.
“Their architects used the most developed techniques of the prehistoric
period. They had built their castles in strategic areas after carrying
out ground studies. We believe that Urartu Kingdom was the first
civilisation to use toilet and sewer systems.”
The Urartu Kingdom was formed in eastern Anatolia at the beginning
of the first millennium BC after the fall of the Hittite empire and
survived for three centuries.