Sights of Van, Turkey (+ pictures)

Van, one of the spectacular cities of Turkey

 

Undoubtedly, Lake Van is one of the most important attractions of Van and many tourists go to Van just to see this lake. Lake Van is the largest lake in Turkey and is fed by rainwater, small rivers and melted snow.

 

Van city

 

Van is the largest city in eastern Turkey, which is the capital of Van province, and is one of the historical cities of Turkey. With a population of nearly 361,163 people, the people of Van city speak Kurdish (Kermanji).

 

The city of Van is attached to Lake Van from the north and west, from the east to the high mountains of Siya Kouh and Erk, and from the south to Mount Artos. The main world fame of this city is due to the presence of white furry cats with one blue eye and the other yellow, which are known as Van Cat.
Among the old villages in the northern suburbs of Van, which have now become part of the city, we can mention Shahbagh village, which is an area with many gardens.

 

Van tourist attractions:
– Van Castle
– Lake Van
– Akhtamar Church
– Moradieh waterfall
– Cat Van

 

Van Kalesi Castle (Castle Of Van)
Van Castle, Turkey, is a castle on top of the mountains on the eastern shore of Lake Van in Turkey, which today remains as a ruin with very large columns of towering walls. This castle dates back to the 9th century BC. The Urartos built this castle in the 7th century BC, and it has been used by different tribes throughout history. including Armenians, Romans, Medes, Achaemenids, Sasanians, Arabs, Seljuks, Ottomans and Russians.

 

The Urartos built Van Castle in the 7th century BC

The lower parts of the wall of this fort are made of basalt stone without mortar, and the upper parts are made of bricks. The inscription of Khashayarshah, a valuable Achaemenid relic, can be seen on top of a 20-meter-high rock near Van Castle. This inscription was originally prepared by Darius the Great, but for some reasons it was not completed and left blank, but Xerxes the son of Darius the Great, completed it during his reign and left it as a memorial.

Lake Van Lake Van
Undoubtedly, the most important tourist attraction of Van (of course, for tourists, not for people who go to buy cheap clothes and return) is Lake Van.

 

Lake Van, the most important tourist attraction in Van

 

This lake is the largest lake in Turkey and has three beautiful islands named Akhtamar-Charpanag and Adair. It may be interesting for you to know that the aerial distance between Lake Van and Lake Urmia is about 100 km, but Lake Van is very full of water and Lake Urmia is taking its last breath!

Akdamar Island and Church (Akhtamar) Akdamar Island
It is a church 41 kilometers southwest of Van city on Akhtamar Island. This church was built between 915 and 921 AD. There are many traditions about the name of this island, but the most substantiated one is that a girl named Tamara (Princess Tamara or the daughter of the high priest of the church) fell in love with a boy from the village and in order for this boy to be able to swim to the island, every At night, he lit a fire on the island so that the boy could swim to him. The news of these meetings at night reached the father of Princess Tamara and he lit a fire in a boat one night (stormy) and left the boat to the waves of the lake. and the last moments of being captured by the waves scream out of necessity (Akh Tamaraa) and the same name was later pronounced as Akhtamar (or Akdamar) for the name of the island and the church in it, and a hotel with the same name in the center of the city. There is. Despite being old, the church building survived the famous Van earthquake.

 

Moradieh waterfall
Apart from historical heritage, the city of Van is a paradise of natural beauty. One of the most attractive attractions in Van is Moradieh waterfall, 80 km from Van city, which has fantastic views. This attractive waterfall usually freezes in winter and has attractive views in summer and winter. There is a nice green space near the waterfall where you can relax under the shade of trees in the summer season.

 

Moradieh waterfall, one of the attractions of Van

cat bath
cat bath It is a breed of cat that is mostly seen in the city of Van in Turkey. This is a fluffy white cat with one yellow eye and one blue eye.
This type of cat has made this city famous worldwide.