Meher Kapısı

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Mhera Door.jpg

Meher Kapısı (Mheridur, Meher Kapı), which means "Mithras Gate", is a Urartian Ḫaldi sanctuary near Van , Turkey . Other names for the sanctuary are Tac Kapi, "stone gate", or Çoban Kapisi, "shepherd's gate".

The long, bilingual inscription by Meher Kapısıs is the most important source of the Urartian religion so far. It was written under Išpuini and Menua around 820 BC. Written in BC. The inscription designates the sanctuary in the form of a niche as a "door". Sacrifices were presumably made on a lower terrace.

The inscription names the imperial gods Ḫaldi , the weather god Teišeba and the sun god Šiwini as well as a number of local deities. Passes, lakes and mountains ( Eidoru ) were also given sacrifices, as well as the weapons of Haldi and the Haldi gate itself. A total of 79 entities received sacrifices from cattle and sheep in the month of Šiuini.

Among others, the following are mentioned:

  • Adia
  • Aye
  • Anapša
  • Arubaini
  • Asilemla
  • Baba
  • Dieduani
  • Inuani
  • Ḫutuini
  • Nalaini
  • Sardi
  • Sebitu
  • Šelardi
  • Turani
  • Tušpuni
  • Including

Salvini assumes that local deities were incorporated into the imperial pantheon in the course of the conquests of Menuas.

As in Meher Kapısı, rock gates can also be found in other Urartian sanctuaries such as Yeşılalıç , Tabriz Kapısı and Hazine Kapısı from the time of Sarduri II.

The first copy of the inscription was made in 1826–1828 by Friedrich Eduard Schulz , professor in Gießen .

literature

  • M. Salvini: The historical background of the Urartian monument of Meher Kapısı . In: Altan Çilingiroǧlu and DH French (eds.): Anatolian Iron Ages . Volume 3, British Institute of Archeology at Ankara Monograph 3, Ankara 1994, pp. 205-210.
  • Reinard Bernbeck, Political Structure and Ideology in Urartu. Archaeological communications from Iran and Turan 35/36, 277.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Erich Ebeling, Bruno Meissner, Dietz Otto Edzard: Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Aräologie / Meek - Mythologie, Walter de Gruyter, 1997, p. 21 [1]

Coordinates: 38 ° 31 '0 "  N , 43 ° 23' 24.7"  E