A burial chamber was discovered during excavations at Gevhernik Castle.

The work carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Van Yüzüncü Yıl University is continuing in the church and its surroundings within the castle.

A soup kitchen, cistern, coins and a burial chamber were unearthed during excavations carried out this year in the castle, which was located in the region used as the administrative center during the Georgian Kingdom and the Ottoman period in the Middle Ages.

Excavation Director and Dr. Faculty Member of the Art History Department of Van Yüzüncü Yıl University's Faculty of Letters, Osman Aytekin, told an AA correspondent that the work began in 2021 with the permission and support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Aytekin, who stated that the excavations are planned to continue for at least another five years, emphasized that the castle, which was built in the 5th century and repaired by the Bagratid King Ashot the Great in the 9th century and to which a city section was added, was an important settlement in history.

Aytekin emphasized that it was determined that the ruling class and their families lived in the inner castle, while merchants and the wealthy lived in the walled city section, and stated that there were structures such as tombs, baths, churches and fountains in the city section.

Recalling that work began on the Peter and Paul Church last year, Aytekin continued:

This year, we're conducting research on the structures surrounding this church. A large space we identified as a tandoori house and soup kitchen was discovered nearby. Its foundations and the remains of the tandoor were unearthed. This indicates that a significant population lived here. The soup kitchen and tandoori house confirm that there was a significant population here, both religiously and administratively. There are numerous cisterns. We've finished excavating two cisterns and are continuing on to the third. After we finish those, we'll move on to the administration building.

Aytekin noted that in the book titled "Kartlis Tskhovreba," which describes the history of Georgia, there is information that the tomb of Georgian King Ashot the Great is located in the Peter and Paul Church, and noted the following:

Ashot's tomb was being searched for both by Georgian scientists and by us. We found the burial chamber beneath the apse, in the narrow apse section of the church. We found a vaulted burial chamber measuring 2 meters long and 1 meter 80 centimeters wide. Unfortunately, when we excavated the vault, we discovered no bodies or bone fragments. Two tombs were being searched in Georgia. Queen Tamara's tomb was unknown. One of them was the tomb of Ashot the Great. It was said to be here, but its exact location was unknown. Scientifically, our team, on behalf of Turkish archaeology, discovered the tomb of Ashot the Great.

Aytekin stated that portable cultural assets such as Byzantine coins, ceramic pieces, stone and metal cannonballs dating back to the early 11th century were also found during the excavations, and that the findings would be delivered to the Artvin Museum at the end of the year.

Aytekin stated that he believes the region will become an important cultural and tourism center after the excavations are completed.

Pamukkale University Faculty of Engineering faculty member Dr. Turgay Beyaz, who was part of the excavation team, said that he was working on soil and rock mechanics in the excavation area.

Beyaz added that monolithic rocks weighing up to 10 tons were used in the castle, and that these were chosen from local rocks.