Van City

Van city still retains an architectural style and historical features to this day, where the 3,000-year-old city is likely to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, as well as the beauty of its lake and its water. Useful in the treatment of many diseases, their manifestations of castles, mosques, churches, thermal water, springs, resorts.

Van is located in eastern Anatolia, bordered to the north by the cities of Agri and Dogubayazit, to the south by Siirt and Hakkari, and to the east by the Iran and its predominantly Kurdish population.

Archaeological excavations in the region proved that the history of human settlement in Van extends to 5000 BC. But the appearance of Van on the pages of history, coincides with the ninth century BC, because Van at that period was the capital of the "Urartian" Kingdom, which was one of the most powerful kingdoms in eastern Anatolia, and was called "Van", at that time, "Toshiba".

Tourism in Van today depends on its famous lake, its historic church, "AKdamar", a UNESCO World Heritage Site, its well-known castles, and its world-famous cats.

- Van Lake 
Van Lake once called the "Upper Sea" in ancient civilizations, is the largest lake in Turkey in terms of area, and was formed Lake, which is a volcanic lake, formed as a result of the eruption of the volcano Nimrod Mount , which is a volcanic mountain, and has no beauty Unparalleled in the world. The famous Van Lake is located five kilometers east of Van, surrounded by volcanic mountains to the north and west.

Studies conducted in the lake water, that this water destroys microbes, and useful in the treatment of many diseases, and was seen healing the wounds of people swimming in the lake water in a short period, and get rid of dandruff.

According to the latest study conducted by a group of scientists from the University of Istanbul, it proved that the waters of Van Lake benefit in the treatment of diseases such as asthma and chronic lung diseases. According to specialists, especially when the sun's rays fall at an angle of 45 degrees, greatly benefit patients with lung.

Lake ships are used to transport passengers to and from the islands, as well as between Van and Tetouan. The lake has a charming view, and is famous for its port, bay, coast, semi-islands, and its salty and gaseous waters, making the people of the region call it "the sea"

AKdamar is the largest island in the city of Van and is one of the most visited by tourists in the province of Van.

- The Castle

Although nearly 3,000 years have passed, it is possible to find traces dating back to the "Orartuin" in the city of Van to date, one of them is the castle of Van. Van Castle is one of the most beautiful castles built by the Orartuin.

The area passed by many civilizations that left many castles, but the most famous of these castles, the castle that bears its name, located west of the city center, about 5 km, and likened the traveler "Oliya Calabi", "Camel Aljathi" for the height of the center easy.

To the west is the Sardor Tower, which is of great importance compared to other monuments, for its unique architectural style, and the inscriptions engraved on it, which dates back to the ancient "Urartu" civilization.

The Van Castle, built during the reign of the Kingdom of Urartu, 5 km from the city center, was the capital of the Kingdom of Urartu, which ruled in eastern Anatolia for about 250 years, and this castle is still high with the ancient city "Van" 3,000 years ago.

There are many mosques in the city of Van, the most important of which are the Ulu Mosque and the remnants of Calabi, and the mosque Kizil Manarli, and the mosque of Horhoor and the mosque of Abbas Aga.

The most famous churches in Van are the Church of Tceft, the Church of Surp Stephanos, Surp, Artan and Feet.

Its most famous church is the ancient Armenian Church Ahtamar or Akdamar, this beautiful church is located on the island of Akdamar in Van Lake. It dates back to 921 and was recently reopened after extensive renovation. Its walls are decorated with impressive paintings and the entrance cost to the church is 3 TL.

As for cooking and cuisine, it is famous, like other cities in Turkey, its own cuisine, has gathered many flavors throughout history from different civilizations to satisfy all tastes.
Among the most famous of its cuisine, the fish of Lake, which does not exceed the length of each 20 cm, and weighs between 70-80 grams, and live only in the lake's salty and gaseous water, and the most delicious way to cook in the enlightenment, called (Angie Cavalli).

The famous cats

It is not possible to talk about Van, without talking about the famous Van cat, it has a special place, especially among the races of cats in the world, characterized by bright white hair, beautiful tail, and the colors of her eyes, one green and the other blue, draws attention, which is the only type of cats that Swim in the water, play. If you are a rare pet lover, then your destination is your destination.

Also, if you are a handicraft enthusiast, you will find hand-made carpets in the Urartu Halı market, 9 km from Van Airport.

Transportation in Van

The bus stops on the D300 highway, which runs from the Iranian border to the eastern region at Kapikoy. It also runs along the shore of the southern lake to Tattan, heading towards the western Turkish region, while the D975 in Van runs to the northern region of Dogubeyazit and south from Hakkari. Van is generally the western station of the Iran-wide railway, and is also the basis for freight and passenger trains in Iran as well.