Tsovinar inscription, Ancient cuneiform inscription near Lake Sevan, Armenia

The Tsovinar inscription is a cuneiform text carved on a rock cliff at the foot of the hill holding the ruins of Odzaberd, on the southern shore of Lake Sevan near the village of Tsovinar. It was commissioned by the Urartian king Rusa I, son of Sarduri, and records his conquest of 23 kings and the construction of a fortress named the city of Teisheba.

The cliff inscription was carved for King Rusa I (r. 735–714 BCE) of Urartu and records his campaign in which he subdued 23 kings and one city, deported men and women to Biainili, and took tribute. It ends with a curse on anyone who destroys the text. A first publication appeared in 1863, and a squeeze is held in the Armenian History Museum.

The cliff inscription is the first known written record of the name Sevan for the lake. It closes with a curse on anyone who destroys the text, and a squeeze (paper impression) of the inscription is kept in the Armenian History Museum in Yerevan.

The site is located near the village of Tsovinar, which serves as the starting point for a visit. It is advisable to allow sufficient time to explore the fortress area and to account for the terrain conditions.

The inscription lists geographical place names and administrative boundaries that allow researchers to reconstruct the ancient political divisions of the region. These specific details make it a valuable source for understanding territorial organization in antiquity.