Turkish archaeologists say they have discovered the tomb of Georgian King Ashot Kuropalates in the Artanuji Fortress (historically known as Gevernik), located in modern-day Turkey. The joint archaeological team from Van’s Yüzüncü Yıl University and Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism made the discovery beneath the ruins of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, according to Georgia’s National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation.
Georgian officials have welcomed the Turkish team’s efforts to study the fortress but emphasized that additional research is necessary to confirm the identity of the remains. A delegation led by Professor Vakhtang Japaridze visited the site to inspect the excavation work and the newly unearthed structure, believed to be a royal tomb.
“Given the absence of remains and inscriptions in the tomb, Georgian researchers assert that the site likely belonged to Ashot,” the statement said.
King Ashot I Kuropalates, of Armenian origin, was the son of Atrnerseh I, governor of Tayk, and grandson of Ashot the Sparapet, of the Armenian Bagratuni royal lineage. He formed an alliance with the Byzantine Empire to resist Arab rule and accepted the title of “Kuropalates.” He fortified the city of Artanuji (modern Ardanuç), which became the capital of his realm and held a strategic position along the Silk Road.
Ashot led successful campaigns against Arab forces and gradually expanded his authority across southern Georgia, annexing regions like Kvemo Kartli. His domain came to be known as the Principality of Tayk-Klarjeti. In 826, he was killed in a betrayal during a battle against the Arabs, murdered by Georgians bribed by Arab forces inside a church. Ashot Kuropalates is venerated as a saint in the Georgian Orthodox Church.
