Van - Turkey

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VAN - TURKEY

VAN
Van (170 km east of Bitlis), the ancient Urartian capital of Tuspa, tempts visitors with its location on the eastern shore of the lake. This remote but important city is set in a verdant oasis at the foot of a rocky peak. An imposing 9th-century B.C. citadel overlooks the new and the old parts of town. Steps carved in the rock lead to the Urartian fortress.
Halfway up the steps, inscriptions in cuneiform pay homage to Xerxes. Within the fortress are several Urartian royal rock tombs. In the old city, the Ulu Mosque, Hüsrev Pasa Mosque, Kaya Çelebi Mosque and the Ikiz Kümbet reflect Seljuk and Ottoman architectural styles. Van's interesting Archaeological Museum is in the new city, inland from the uninhabited old district. Still very much part of a traditional lifestyle, the women of Van produce beautiful kilims woven in blue, red and white patterns. The exotic Van cat, a protected specie, has thick white fur and one blue and one green eye.
At Van Iskelesi (Van Harbour), friendly tea gardens and restaurants invite you for a break. Edremit, a holiday resort center 14 km to the southwest, has good beaches, swimming and camping. In the same direction is Gevas, where you can visit a Seljuk cemetery with numerous decorated headstones, and the lovely Halime Hatun Mausoleum.

Lake Van, the largest lake in Turkey is at an altitude of 1,720 meters, and is ringed by beautiful mountains. Mt. Süphan (4,058 meters) is on the northwest side and the Ihtiyar Sahap Mountains is to the south. You can circle the lake, visiting several ancient Uranian sites as well as other places that represent the legacies of the various peoples who inhabited the area. Some of the islands in Lake Van have monasteries and churches built on them. No doubt the remote location offered seclusion to the resident religious communities.
Forty-one kilometres southwest of Van, Akdamar Island (a half-hour sail from shore) is the most important of these. On the island stands the 10th century Church of the Holy Cross, now a museum, whose stone walls are richly carved with Old Testament scenes and figures. After sightseeing, swimmers and picnickers can enjoy themselves around the island's almond groves. If you have time, also visit Çarpanak Island to enjoy its landscape and to wander around the 12th-century church, which has now been converted into a museum.
Çavustepe, 35 km from Van on the Hakkari road, is an important Uranian citadel. Excavated in 1970, today you can see temples, a palace, a sacrificial altar and inscriptions. On the pastoral, winding road to Hakkari, the Zernek Dam Lake offers itself as a resting spot on the way to Hosap, 60 km from Van, where a 17th-century fairytale castle rises above a small hill. Although the interior is badly damaged, the exterior walls, crenellations and turrets are well-preserved.
Among the interesting geographical features around Lake Van, the Muradiye Waterfalls, 88 km north of Van, with a peaceful tea garden and restaurants, and Gahnispi-Beyaz Çesme Falls, 60 km south of Van, are worth visiting.