An Important Fortress in the Northern Region of the State of Urartu: Fortress of Tuzla

Erzincan with its environment has become a prominent settlement beginning from the early Bronze Age. The plains of Erzincan and Tercan, the streams, the underground treasure, the climate of the city appropriate for agriculture and the meadowland highly fruitful for husbandry have made Erzincan a continuous residential area from ancient times to present. Apart from these, that the historical natural roads crossing over ？ran-Do？ubeyaz？t-A？r？-Horasan-Pasinler-Erzurum to reach Erzincan and one reaching Central Anatolia following Erzincan, the other one reaching the Black Sea ports intersected has made the region a prominent and strategic place to the utmost.The Kingdom of Diauehi ruled the eastern Erzincan in the late 2nd millennium BC and the first quarter of the first millennium BC. The powerful Urartian, which appeared as Tu？pa centered in the 9th century BC expanded into the north before long. Urartians were able to capture the region before long. Urartian embarked upon public works in order to ensure the control of Erzincan and its environment and to make them lasting. Alt？ntepe, which is 16 km to the center of Erzincan, became the most prominent defense and control center in the north, northwest of Urartu. This study aims to make the Castle of ？ad？rkaya/Pekeri？, which is alleged by us being the control center of Urartian in the east of Erzincan, along with the Castle of Tuzla known. The Castle of Tuzla is an extremely prominent center built to protect the historical natural roads used since the Early Bronze Age and to contribute to the control of the region; and modernized during the Urartu period