Urartians ruled over the shores of lakes Van, Çildir, Sevan, and Urmia ca. 900 to 700 BC. Their presence in the east of Lake Urmia has been previously studied according to the inscriptions of Argišti I in Javanqale, Sarduri II in Seqindel, and Argištri II in Razliq, Nashteban, Shisheh, and Sarab, in addition to the inscribed discs from Varzeghan. There was not a single piece of evidence of Rusa I’s dominance over the region, unless the discovery of Qarajalu Urartian inscription. The severely damaged rock inscription contains his conquest of the region in Qaradaq area, along with constructing a fortification to the east of Urmia Lake. A possible route for his campaign through the east could be Ahar Chay Gorge and Qaradagh mountains, as they were well aware of the significance of the eastern shores of the lake. The authors aim to describe and analyze this inscription as the first footprint of Rusa, Son of Sarduri, in the region as the conqueror and constructor.
