At 86, Mehmet Kusman has spent nearly 60 years studying Urartian, the ancient language of the Urartu Kingdom in eastern Turkey.
With little formal education, Kusman began copying inscriptions while working at the Cavustepe excavations in the 1960s. He learned the alphabet in three years and spent another 22 years learning 650 words.
Kusman calls himself one of the last people in Turkey who can speak Urartian.
However, historians say no one can truly claim to speak it because its pronunciation is unknown and much of its vocabulary remains a mystery.
Despite this, academics admire his dedication. He has introduced thousands of visitors to Urartu’s history and given talks in several countries.
Kusman proudly calls himself a ‘grandson of the Urartians’.