Abstract
Kars province, located on the Erzurum-Kars Plateau of the Eastern Anatolia Region, has been inhabited since ancient times with the contribution of the favourable environment created by rich river resources, fertile pastures and agricultural areas. Located at the intersection of important road routes, the region has also played an important role in the spread of cultures. The Urartians, who pursued an expansion policy towards the north since the first millennium BC, organized many expeditions to the region in order to dominate the Dia(u)ehi Kingdom, an important kingdom in the region, and to reach further north. For this purpose, the Urartians, who wanted to control the region, built fortresses on important road routes in order to strengthen themselves militarily and logistically. Castles were also built for this purpose in and around Kars, which is within the northern expansion of the Urartian Kingdom. Taşdere/ Sosgert Fortress located in Taşdere village of Arpaçay district of Kars province is thought to be an Urartian settlement. This is because Arpaçay is a region rich in water resources on the route from Anatolia to the Caucasus. In this respect, the fact that the fortress is located on this road route and in a strategic location suggests that the Urartians used the fortress effectively during their northern campaigns. Taşdere/Sosgert Fortress was built just south of the valley formed by the Karahan Stream, on a rocky area about 30-40 m above the valley. In the castle, there are architectural structures carved into the bedrock such as a warehouse, a cistern, a water tunnel with rock steps, and fortification walls built in cyclopean technique.
Keywords: Doğu Anadolu, Kars, Urartu, Kale, Taşdere/Sosgert
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