Why and How?
Who wouldn’t remember Turkey’s largest lake from their first geography classes? That’s when I first wondered about Van. But then I forgot of course; it was too far away from my small world. Then during my secondary school years, I learned that my aunt’s husband, the eldest of the family, whom we called Enishte was from Van. I questioned him a bit but I don’t remember what he said. The topic was once again shelved for a long time. Until my mother retired and started traveling and went to Van with Enishte’s guidance. Over time, as my appetite to discover the treasures of my country grew, Van moved up in my list. And when I was preparing the digital content of the Urartian exhibition for the Rezan Has Museum, I became extremely curious. But work and priorities blocked my path.
As I was able to spare more time to travel, explore and experience the world; I targeted my destinations not only by planning, but also by spontaneous decisions. And Van won the lottery from the airline discount campaign! Suddenly, I was choosing a destination for domestic flights at the end of October. With our cheap tickets purchased in advance, we arrived in Van with a journey that took approximately 2 hours from Istanbul airport.
Places to See in Van
I didn’t think we could visit all of the places we targeted in a three-night, three-and-a-half-day trip. Especially when it had started to get dark very early in the far east of Turkey. But we were a perfect team with my history and archeology enthusiast friends who loved traveling.We used time to the limits, starting the day very early, driving around the lake and consuming local delicacies in quantities way over our capacity.
We used our time very efficiently; so I am listing our travel route in chronological order. …
- Van Museum: It was a great decision to start the trip from here… We not only saw the ruins unearthed from the entire region; we were informed on the history and culture of Van, especially its magnificent ancestors, the Urartians. Thus, we were able to plan the rest of our trip much easier and make better sense of what we saw.
- Tuşpa Castle: Tuşpa, the capital of the Urartian kingdom from the 9th century BC until its collapse, is the ancestor of the new Van city. The Castle, right next to the center, overlooks the entire region, the city, the lake and the mountains, from a majestic hill. Like many ruins, entrance to the castle is free with a Museum Card. You don’t need a physical card, you can form a QR code from the app on your phone. As you enter at the foot of the walls, it is worth going up the slope even just for the view. Unfortunately, there are not many ruins to visit inside the castle. But we found the real gem on our way back… As in all overlapping civilizations, many additions were made to the Urartu walls, including the Seljuk and Ottoman ones. While we were debating which wall was the oldest, we discovered a wonderful corner at the end of the road next to the cafeteria. We were fascinated by the cuneiform writings on the edge of a huge mass that remained intact from the Urartian city walls, the magnificent weeping willows next to it, and the fairy-tale beauty of the road going in. Moreover, it was a great spot to take photos.
- Çavuştepe: We went to Çavuştepe, an important trace of Urartu civilization, to see the fascinating temple ruins with cuneiform inscriptions on the stones, built with extraordinary precision for its time, and to meet the equally famous Mehmet Kuşman. When we had time left on our first day in Van, we drove here after visiting the museum and the castle. We breathed in the magical nature and history from this magnificent hill surrounded by steppes, bare mountains and green valleys. We ran our fingers over the cuneiform writings. We speculated about what else will be uncovered in the ongoing excavations. And finally we met Mehmet Kuşman. In fact, we had greeted the famous Urartian, who was working as the gatekeeper of the ruins, at the entrance. But first we had to see the site. On our way back, we did not miss the opportunity to visit his workshop in the stone building at the foot of the ruins and witness his story. Those who are curious can research him online or read Enver Şengül’s book, Keeper of Lost Time. Mehmet Kuşman is a rare gem; he has learned Urartian on his own and he is one of the few people in the world who knows this lost language and also can speak it. Proud to chat; we were excited to have our Urartian names written by him in our books which we bought from the workshop. You can visit Çavuştepe even just to meet this bright-eyed, old soul with a black cuneiform medallion. But beware, he may not be there in the off-season because he is constantly invited to speak in congresses and events.
- Van Lake Route: We set off at 6.30 in the morning in order to complete the journey around the lake in a day; it would roughly take 5-6 hours by car to go around if we did not stop. We arrived in Tatvan traveling on the mountain foothills and sometimes on the lakeside, accompanied by magnificently beautiful views. We took a road from Tatvan to Nemrut Crater, one of the important points of our route (this is not our famous Mount Nemrut, but the second one). Then we went back to Tatvan and then drove to Van via Ahlat, Adilcevaz, Sodalı Göl and Eriş. When the sun, which had warmed us all day long, disappeared into the red sky over the lake, it suddenly got cold and we ran inside to eat.
- Nemrut Crater Lake: We wanted to see this unique place, which is one of the largest volcanic crater lakes not only in Turkey but in the world. It was truly worth the journey… Starting from the Van lake view as we drove up the stone-paved road, to snow-covered slopes to green valleys, from stony shores to blue lakes and ponds the view was breathtakingly beautiful. We went as far as we could by car near the water. We did not insist on traveling more on foot, fearing the reputation of the bears that were released into the wild here years ago. But the whole thing was a wonderful experience, from its clear waters reflecting the sky like a mirror to the snowball fight at the edge of the crater.
- Ahlat: Ahlat, a charming settlement on the shores of the lake, is most famous for its Seljuk period ruins. The architectural appearance of the new town is in harmony with the old, as they are covered with local stones. This type of conservation and city planning should be an example for many places in Van.
- Archaeological Museum: The small but charming museum deserves a short visit. It’s right next to the cemeteries anyway.
- Seljuk Cemetery: This is the largest ancient Muslim cemetery in the world. The individual Seljuk tombstones are as impressive as the huge size of the area they cover, or even more so. Each of the rectangular stone blocks, some grand and some smaller in size, are all crafted like fine lace, each telling a unique story.
- Tombs: The largest and most impressive monumental tombs of the region are here. I recommend to visit at least one; they take a short time to see. The unique geometry, the lighting, the earthy colors and the peaceful atmosphere is worth it.
- Adilcevaz: We did not have time to visit the ruins here; But we had a wonderful breakfast.
- Sodalı Lake & Süphan Mountain: Süphan Mountain, which seemed to be watching all over the land from the southern shores of the lake, started to look friendlier as we moved north. As I approached the snowy peaks, I compared Süphan to my Enishte, who always sat silent and stoic in a corner; I had respected him with a touch of fear… A giant who was both very close and far away, protecting and watching but not too intimate. From Sodalı Lake, a small pond on the edge of Lake Van, Süphan seemed to be staring into the distance with a slightly worn-out splendor.
- Ahtamar Island: We reserved Van’s most famous site for last. On the third day, we set out early in the morning to ride the Aghtamar ferries. We arrived at the pier just ahead of Gevaş with the sun at our back. We boarded around 9 o’clock and we were on the island in less than half an hour. First we objected to the boat returning in 1.5 hours. But even though it seemed too long, it was barely enough. The church itself is very impressive, structurally and with its reliefs. If you are curious you can eavesdrop on one of the tour groups that are frequent on the island; the stories are also very interesting. The interior is also impressive; especially the proportions and the magnificent light filtering through the small windows. It somewhat resembles the ruins of Ani in Kars. But this rare jewel, which is completely preserved along with the island, shines in a different way. Definitely worth half a day.
- Van Bazaar: Unfortunately, there is not much left of the old town in the city of Van. There is no old bazaar, no preserved neighborhood or even a block. After much research and inquiry, we heard about a “Russian Market” when we asked for souvenirs. Consisting of these few streets in the city center, it is now known as European Public Market So we did not return home empty-handed. In fact, we found more than we were looking for; there were antique treasures in a few shops that seemed to sell only trinkets. While my friends were spending most of their time there, I had already set my sights on the rug shop on the corner. With a little bargaining, I bought a wonderful rug, the largest size I could fit in my suitcase, at an affordable price. I filled my quota with a few souvenirs and a bracelet from the coppersmiths.
Things we couldn’t go to
These are the other places in and around Van that are reserved for our next time because we ran out of time or they were a little too far away:
- Ahlat Ruined City
- Ahlat Madavans Valley
- Kef Castle
- Hoşap Castle
- Muradiye Waterfall
- Dönemeç Waterfall
- Seven Churches & Yoncatepe Necropolis
- Süphan Mountain Trekking Route
- Vanadokya Fairy Chimneys
- Van Başkale Akçalı Travertines
- Bakhchisaray
- hizan
Where and What to Eat in Van?
We took the guidance of friends who have been to Van before or those who have lived there, the internet for our taste buds. We couldn’t try everything and some the ones we did try weren’t all great. These are the gastronomy stars of the Van trip:
- Urartu Khan: The food on the first night was so delicious we went there the second night. In the first one, we ordered stuffed onions to the Han Sofrası menu, which is a tasting assortment of local delicacies; It was all amazing. We tried other flavors for the second time; they were all delicious and special. We also came here for breakfast last morning after a bad experience elsewhere. We had the best Van breakfast here and we returned home with our stomachs full enough for a few days.
- Kuşhane: This place was closed on our second night so we went on our last night… We were not very hungry, so we were thinking of ordering only dessert. But we ate almost all the remaining local dishes. This was a special place that made us happy with wonderful tastes, with its small but cute, original decoration and elegant service.
- Ahlat Sofrasi: As we were leaving Ahlat and heading towards the north of the lake, we stopped at Adilcevaz because we were very hungry. Since we missed breakfast time and the electricity was out, we ate whatever was available. But what we had was modest in appearance but very very tasty. The fried eggs with meat were legendary, and the walnut and pear jams were flavors we could never find again.
Lake Pearl
Even as the plane lands at the airport by the lake, the vast blue of Lake Van view is dazzling. From the moment we climbed to the castle, this blue giant surrounded by majestic mountains captured our souls. We were feeling like we were by the sea, but not quite. The pieces came together when I checked the altitude on the second day. The lake was at an altitude of 1700 meters! This was the reason for the softness and harshness, cuteness and the scariness at the same time.
According to the internet, the shores of the lake, which is not very hot even in summer, serve as the summer resort of the region. We decided to come again in summer and swim in the lake, to enjoy one of the sandy beaches on the Adilcevaz side. There were natural and historical spots left that we did not have the opportunity to visit anyway.
We will visit Van again to see the damper side of it, especially the cool waterfalls. We also did not have the opportunity to taste the famous pearl mullet this time, neither fresh nor in the impressive dried form we saw in the market. We certainly intend to come back to Van, the pearl of Eastern Anatolia, still behind its shells, silently waiting for the moment when it will shine…
