Ağrı has been a doorway rather than a destination. Peoples entering Anatolia from Central Asia crossed through here, so a great many civilisations passed over the province — but because each of them treated it as an entrance, none of them built a deeply rooted civilisation on the spot.
The Hittites are thought to have held the area, and when their power faded the Hurrians settled here between 1340 and 1200 BC. Their royal centre was at Urfa, far away, and they could not hold Ağrı for long.
The most firmly rooted civilisation here was Urartu. Campaigns into the lands north and north-east of Lake Van began under king Išpuini, between 825 and 810 BC, and grew heavier under Menua, between 810 and 786. The castles built along the roads running north and north-east show that these campaigns were planned in advance, and an Urartian inscription found on the slopes of Mount Ararat, between the villages of Karakoyunlu and Taşburun, is firm proof of Menua's rule in this region.
