VAN
The province of Van sits by Lake Van, and was the ancient Urartian
capital of Tuspa. It is situated in a green, fertile oasis in the midst
of rocky mountains in the Eastern Anatolian
region of Turkey. An impressive citadel
stands on one of these peaks and dates back to the 9th century BC. There
are steps carved into rock leading to the fortress, and while descending
you will be able to see some cuneiform inscriptions paying homage to Persian
King, Xerxes of the 5th century BC. In the fortress, the Urartian
royal tombs are of interest. The surrounding area is full of Urartian
remains. In the old city there are many mosques
and mausoleums such as the Ulu Mosque, the Hüsrev Pasa Mosque, the Kaya
Çelebi Mosque and the Ikiz Kümbet. The Archaeological Museum in the new
city exhibits the Urartian finds. At Van Harbor
you may find pleasant places to rest. For swimming and camping you may
head for Edremit, 14 kilometers to the southwest. It is a holiday resort center
from where you may do some sightseeing excursions. At Gevas, there is a
Seljuk graveyard, filled
with extraordinary headstones, as well as the lovely Halime Hatun Tomb.
The explosion of Nemrut volcano led the formation of the largest lake
in Turkey; Van and the deepest lake; Nemrut (it
is not the same Nemrut mountain in Adiyaman).
Urartus, Armenians, Kurds,
Arabians, Romans, Seljuks, Ottomans,
Byzantines all met on this gorgeous land.
Lake Van is the largest lake in Turkey (1.646
meters high and covers an area of 3.713 square kilometers) and provides good opportunities
for enjoyable excursions. You may go for outdoor sports
such as trekking or hunting in the mountains
surrounding it, especially Mount Süphan, the second highest mountain in
Turkey after Mount Ararat.
Alternatively you may head for on the beach, or visit the Urartian
sites and Turkish cultural centers. The islands on the lake are also interesting,
most of them housing many monasteries and churches. The most important
of these is the Akdamar Island with its 10th
century church of Holy Cross. The church is now restored as a museum and
its richly decorated walls have Old
Testament relieves. After visiting the museum you may rest at the beneath
lakeside the almond trees, where there are good opportunities for picnicking
and swimming. Carpanak Island is also interesting and deserves a visit.
Hosab, 67 kilometers east, has a magnificent old fortress fronted by huge walls.
At Çavustepe, there is an Urartian site, which
is 25 kilometers from Van on the Hakkari road.
88 kilometers north of Van, are the Muradiye Waterfalls, perfect place to rest
while listening to natures harmony at one of
the restaurants or tea gardens around the falls.
Van is also famous for
its Van cat, a pure white, longhair cat which
has the strange feature of one blue eye and the other green.
Very few people know Tirsin pasture in Van. The rocky area of this 2.400
meters high pasture is an open air museum. There are thousands of pictures
on thousands of rocks: Schematic pictures of Taurus, bison dating back
to ages between Mesolithic times and bronze age. These pictures created
by the hunters support the thesis that the area was thickly forested in
prehistoric times.