Self-taught Turkish 'linguist' keeps dead language alive

Mehmet Kusman aged 86 has spent decades guarding the ancient Cavustepe fortress in eastern Turkiye while preserving the nearly forgotten Urartian language.

After three years studying its cuneiform alphabet, he spent another 22 years learning the language, traveling across Turkiye, Iran and northern Syria to document inscriptions. Kusman says only about seven people in Turkiye can now speak and write Urartian, down from around 20 proficient speakers in the 1970s. He continues to promote the language and the archaeological heritage of the ancient Urartian kingdom.