This was the day of our long awaited trip to the Lake Van region with our very special friend and traveling companion, Mehmet Gulsen. This area has only recently been opened up to visitors because previously it was not safe as a center for Kurdish/Turkish conflict. The area is almost all Kurdish people. It is quiet there now and we felt no threat or even unwelcome feelings during our whole visit. It was also a center for the Armenian civilization which has now disappeared from the area. The country of Armenia is not far way (also close by are Iran and Azerbaijan). Certainly there are remnants of the Armenians all over the area along with the Selcuks, Ottomans and others. Lake Van itself is one of the world's largest endorheic lakes - that is, there is no outlet. It is also notable for being very high in sodium carbonate and other salts. It surrounded by inactive and active (!) volcanoes.
We left on the Anadolu Jet flight in late afternoon from Ankara direct to Van, about 90 minutes of flight time. As we waited in our favorite bar area in the Ankara airport, Mehmet noticed a Russian cargo jet that was huge taxiing in. So, we had to take the opportunity to admire this behemoth - probably a cargo jet for hire.
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| Mehmet Gulsen, ever inquisitive, stares at a very large Russian cargo jet as it taxis at the Ankara airport |
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| The object of his interest - who knows what is being transported within? |
Our flight was smooth and we were able to see the lake and surrounding mountains as we came in to land. The Van airport is small but complete, and is right on the lake. We hassled a little with the rental car as the original one (Ford Fiesta) was too small and the only larger one (Ford Focus) had a seriously cracked windshield and was very dirty. We opted for the latter as we would spend a lot time in the car and needed enough room for the three of us and luggage. That night we spent at the four star Merit Sahmaran Hotel, unique because it is slightly out of town but right on the lake. The name Sahmaran is one we encountered when we visited Taursus last year. It is the name of the mythical snake goddess (who was originated in Taursus but somehow has connections to the Van region). A similar name (Suphan) is the name of the huge volcano just across the lake on the north shore. Our rooms had super lake views and the hotel had a small pier/bar area that jutted into the lake. There was a high school graduation party outside that night but they wrapped up by 11 PM.
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| Mount Nemrut - a blown off volcano on the eastern shore of Lake Van from the airplane |
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| The imposing Mount Suphan on the lake's north shore, also volcanic |
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| Our comfortable hotel for the night with a great lakeside location |
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| Sunset from our hotel room |
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| Sunset from the small pier of the hotel |
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| Alice and Randy are happy to be exploring with Mehmet again |
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| The hotel as seen from the pier |
We drove to the Van city center and parked and walked around. It was full of people on this evening before a national holiday. We visited the cheese market where Mehmet and Alice sampled the famous otlu (with herbs) cheese. We both had high hopes for this cheese as it is famous all over Turkey. But it was so salty that we could hardly eat it. What a disapointment! We joined the brother of our friend Yunus Alp (see post on Road Trip to Eskisehir), Ali Alp, in downtown Van. Ali is a medical student at the Yuzuncu Yil (100 Year) University in Van. We ate kebab and the trimmings at a nice place in the middle of downtown. The next morning we enjoyed the very famous Van breakfast at the hotel with views onto the lake. This breakfast is typical Turkish but also includes more cheese, more honey, kaymak (thick yoghurt cream), nuts, more pastries and just more of everything.
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| The kind of creepy (at least at night) cheese market in central Van |
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| The shops mostly sold cheese (well, duh!) and honey, two of the famous crops of the Van region (this one also sells butter) |
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| The shop owner lets us taste the ubiquitous but way too salty otlu cheese |
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| Mehmet looks at the weird fountain at the restaurant |
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| Apparently it is fake but trying to mimic the very high sodium carbonate content of the water. In fact, it is so high that only one fish can live in it, the Pearl Mullet. We were hoping to taste this fish but it was out of season. It is only caught when it swims upstream to spawn which occurs later in May and June. |
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| Handsome Ali Alp and Randy wait for dinner |
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| Ordering kebab - Mehmet, open those eyes! Mehmet is really a nice looking man but he tends not to take good photographs :-). |
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| The perfect lamacun |
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| Randy enjoys the soup |
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| The morning view from our hotel room |
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| Part of the Van breakfast (included in the reasonable $65 double rate) |
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| Mehmet peruses the breakfast buffet - they would also cook eggs for you |
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| Randy makes the most of it |
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| Mehmet, always the early riser (and late to bed), sets up his portable office in the breakfast room with the fine view of the lake |
We drove to the city center again and walked around looking for an mosque (which we did not find - we think it was destroyed in the 2011 earthquake). We did find a honey shop where Mehmet bought a tin of natural honey comb (honey is very famous in Van). We also found the local museum. The museum itself is still closed from the 2011 earthquake but the forecourt with its carvings was open. These were very interesting and spanned Urartian (the original civilization there), Armenian, Selcuk and more.
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| Chickens for sale in the city center of Van on this Thursday morning |
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| Two locals do what Turkish men do best - sit and talk and drink tea |
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| The happy honey salesman packs up Mehmet's natural honey comb from mountain bees |
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| The Van Museum - inside is still closed due to the 2011 earthquake but the garden is full of interesting carvings |
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| Mehmet takes a look at the Urartian carvings - more than 2,500 years old - mostly of rams |
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| Detail of the some well done lions |
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| A detail |
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| More ancient and finely done carvings |
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| The cuneiform of the Urartians |
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| An interesting fragment |
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| Mehmet stops at one of the many street vendors selling "Mountain Banana" a sort of sour asparagus that grows wild in the mountains. It was the season and the crop was sold everywhere. |
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| Detail of the mountain banana - it must be peeled before eating |
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| An old town mosque of Van - we could not visit because it is under renovation |
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| The same was true for this impressive mosque |
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| The Van Kale seen from the plains of the old town, which is a vacant ruin. Note the rock tombs on the right. |
We picked Ali up at his university and went to the famous Van Cat Home (literally, the name) on the university campus. The Van Cat is one of two special breeds to Turkey (the other being the Ankara Cat). The Cat Home is devoted to restoring the breed. It was a large complex with indoor and outdoor spaces and hundreds of cats. The cats were segregated into males, females, and kittens. There were also two nurseries and a breeding room (which doubled as the conference room). The cats were obviously well treated and had great space but were starved for love and personal attention. We did what we could. The ideal Van Cat is pure white with different colored eyes and either long hair or short hair. Less desirable are those with the same colored eyes. At the bottom of the scale are those with some black fur (which the Cat House gives away). Randy was very tempted to take one of the kittens but we will save that activity for a future trip. All in all, it was a great visit to a special place that is even more special for cat lovers (like us).
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| The object of our morning quest |
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| Alice is happy to be at this Mecca of catdom - on the campus of the Yuzuncu Yil University |
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| The entrance - cat home does sound much better than cat house but that is what it is called by most people (cat house) |
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| The inside area for the kittens includes little tunnels and lots of toys for them. They are fed in a separate area and sleep in another area. |
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| The lively kitten area |
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| Kittens move freely from the eating and sleeping area to the play area through underfloor tunnels |
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| Some of the beautiful and friendly kittens |
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| This is of the long hair variety |
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| The caretaker was persuaded to let Alice meet a cat firsthand |
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| A close up of the different colored eyes (though they did not turn out too well in this photo) |
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| The conference room / breeding room (a very interesting combination) |
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| A mother with her new kittens in one of the nurseries |
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| The caretaker with Ali |
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| Kittens at play |
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| Outside were large enclosures for male and for female cats. The cats could move freely from the indoor rooms to the outdoor areas. Ali and Mehmet look at the male cats. |
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| Some of the boy Van cats |
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| Mehmet is a cat magnet but resisted the temptation to adopt one |
We then went to the Van Kale (castle) area, a large fortress ruin on top of a sizable hill in the center of the old town. The old town of Van is a complete ruin that includes some churches, mosques and this castle area. A long ago earthquake leveled that part of the town and the Russians also destroyed it when they left in 1915 and the modern town was built some three kilometers away. Sadly, the modern town also suffered a devastating earthquake in 2011 and it is still being rebuilt. We walked through the city park at the foot of the castle. This being a national holiday, the park was full of picnickers. We then walked up the fairly long and a little steep trail to the top of the kale. The ruins were over restored so them seem a parody of themselves. Great for the casual visitor but a disappointment for history fans. The views were great though and made the climb worth it.
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| Some of the Van families picnicking in the park at the base of the kale |
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| This preceded the path to the kale |
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| The charming traditional Van home |
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| The description of the kale |
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| Looking up to the top of the kale. It was a vigorous walk up. |
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| A selfie on the path up to the kale |
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| Ali and Mehmet trudge up |
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| We are getting closer |
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| It took about 30 minutes to reach the top |
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| A panorama from near the top |
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| Another panorama looking towards the lake |
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| The closed mosque from the earlier photograph as seen from the kale |
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| A storm came up suddenly and there was a little rain after we had descended to the plain below |
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| Another view from the top across to the lake |
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| Looking across the over restored kale towards the new city of Van |
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| Ali was an excellent companion and tour guide |
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| Alice and Randy at the top |
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| Peaceful cows graze on the plain near the kale. You can see that the spring weather has not been dry because the grass is vivid green. |
Our last stop in Van was a restaurant for more kebab. The place the evening before had run out of doner kebab, much to Randy's dismay, but he was able to get it for this late lunch. We enjoyed bulgar pilav along with the usual salads and kebab. We said goodbye to our tour guide and friend, Ali, and headed west along the southern part of the lake.
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| Our lunch stop in the city of Van |
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| Ali enjoys his doner kebab |
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| Randy is very happy to get the doner kebab denied to him last night |
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| The four of us at the table |
Our goal was the most famous tourist sight of the Van region - Akdamar Island with its renowned Armenian church. This is about 45 minutes from Van. We arrived late and the boats would not go to the island without 15 people. One couple was already waiting so that made five. We almost gave up but a van of six came which made 11 and the boat captain agreed that 11 was enough to make the run. It is a short ride (about 20 minutes) to the island, which is a national park and protected. Besides the church and some monastery ruins and a small tea shop (always a necessity in Turkey), the island is a refuge for all sorts of birds and (surprisingly) large rabbits. These rabbits look like pet rabbits, not wild ones. Somehow they founded a colony on the island and are flourishing.
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| Mehmet asks the local gas station attendants about the condition of the local roads |
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| Our first signpost that leads to Iran |
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| Our ferry was rustic and smelled strongly of petrol but it got us to Akdamar Island and back |
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| Akdamar Island from the shore |
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| Panorama with Akdamar Island in the center from the shore |
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| Yes, it was chilly outside so we opted to sit inside the ferry for the crossing |
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| A couple of the adorable and large rabbits on Akdamar Island. There are black ones as well. |
The church, Church of the Holy Cross (or Church of the Holly Cross as the signs say in the incorrect English) - well, to quote the immortal John Ash (see extensive referencing on the blog from last year - RandyandAlice.blogspot.com), "I suppose breathtaking will have to do." It is the most astounding place - the natural environment, the loneliness of the setting and the spectacular carvings all work magic together. The church was built in the 900's and is most noted for two things. First, the inside have the only known Armenian frescoes of the period that still exist. These were interesting and restored in a sensitive manner in 2006.
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| Church of the Holy Cross on Akdamar Island. This is the entrance to the inside. |
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| Another view of this 10th century wonder |
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| A ruined graveyard was behind the church |
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| Mehmet at the church. There were some other tourists around (all Turkish) but it was not crowded even though this was a national holiday. |
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| Another view of the church. The bell tower in the foreground was a later addition. |
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| A saint (?) portrayed in the inside frescoes |
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| The dome with its faint remnants of frescoes |
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| More of the inside frescoes |
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| These frescoes are very restrained compared to those found in Byzantine churches. Services are allowed here a few times a year, hence the modern altar |
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| One of the carvings in the interior wall |
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| A nice fresco detail |
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| Some carved bits and pieces were found in the interior basement area. The writing is Armenian. |
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| Ancient cuneiform also adorned a rock mysteriously in the church's interior |
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| A reused older carved rock was placed in the church's interior wall - the carving looks Selcuk but who knows? |
Second, the exterior which is a riot of carvings. These are mostly biblical tales with some contemporary scenes thrown in. The carvings are almost unbelievable in their quantity and quality. They were also appropriately restored in 2006. Former seat of the Armenian Patriarch for 700 years, this is one of the great churches of the world.
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| Some of the exterior carvings - like stone lace around the building |
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| Detail of some men killing beasts |
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| The grape motif figures prominently in Armenian art |
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| What wonderful carvings - the expressions and the action! |
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| War Eagle! |
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| Alice concentrates on getting this dual selfie's angle just right |
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| A dodo bird - now, how did they know about this extinct creature? |
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| Some of the mythical beasts on the walls |
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| A griffon, bears and rabbits |
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| An eagle take down an lesser bird |
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| One of the portrayed saints |
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| This is the depiction of the Bible store of Jonah and the whale (the whale just about to swallow Jonah to the lower left) |
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| More grapes and more lively beasts |
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| A close up of the Jonah and the whale carving |
We boarded the small ferry (the last of the day) after about an hour and a quarter and headed for the mainland. It was nearing dusk by this point and we made the 90 minute or so drive to the western shore city of Tatvan. We were to meet friends there and spend the night. A 24 hours of so many highlights but the superlative (in this blogger's opinion) must be the evocative and impressive Church of the Holy Cross on the very appropriate setting of Akdamar Island. You must make an effort to go to this place! The pictures do not do it justice (you will be hearing this phrase often during these posts on the Lake Van Region).
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| The monastery cells are being restored - note the tremendous views across to the mountain range on the south shore of Lake Van |
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| More reused carvings on the exterior wall of the Church of the Holy Cross. This looks like the twin of the one used inside. |
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| Some Armenian script on a broken grave stone |
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| Looking from the island to the mainland on the south shore of the lake |
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| Alice was bowled over by Akdamar Island and the treasure of the Church of the Holy Cross |
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| Most of the island is off limits and wild and serves as a home to many bird species |
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| A view with the relatively recent (maybe 1700's?) bell tower in front. This tower obscures some of the original carvings unfortunately. |
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| The church, known in Armenian as Surb Khach |
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| The island on the way back to the mainland |
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| Night falls on eastern Turkey |
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