Turkish archaeologists say they discover Georgian King's tomb

Archaeological excavations have uncovered a burial chamber, a kitchen, a cistern, coins and ceramic pieces in Gevhernik Castle in Türkiye's Ardanuç district.

The excavations are being conducted around the church within the castle and its surrounding area, head of the excavation Osman Aytekin said.

He referred to the Georgian historical book Kartlis Tskhovreba, which mentions that the burial of Georgia's Ashot I the Great (Kouropalates) is located in the Petrus and Paulus Church.

"We discovered a burial chamber in the narrow apse section of the church, beneath the apse...Unfortunately, when we conducted the excavation, we found no human remains or bone fragments inside the vault," Osman Aytekin said.

According to him, it was said that King Ashot's tomb was here, but the exact location was unknown.

"Scientifically, the tomb of King Ashot has been located by our team on behalf of Turkish archaeology,” Osman Aytekin said.