“The city of God Ḫaldi” by Ala, son of Argišti, in Joshun, East of Lake Urmia

The newly reported Urartian stone block from Joshun, in the centre of the Dizmar Qaradaq region, Eastern Azerbaijan Province, Iran, provides significant new information. It is the first attested inscription recording the construction of “the city of the god Ḫaldi” within the borders of Iran. The cuneiform inscription preserves the name of Ala, son of Argišti; its epigraphy and ductus indicate that he was most probably the son of Argišti II. Despite the poor epigraphy and minor errors, the inscription is to be regarded as authentic: had it been a forgery, the name of a previously attested Urartian king would have been employed rather than the otherwise unknown name of Ala. Ala, whose name appears on a royal inscription for the first time, constructed this fortification in support of Bia. Possibly the son of Argišti II and brother of Rusa II, he may have ruled the territory east of Lake Urmia for a period, either before, after, or contemporaneously with Rusa II.