Thunderstorm approaching over Lake Van
A view from Akdamar Island
The city of Van is located at the border of the mysterious Lake Van (Van
Gölü)
on the site of the ancient Urartian capital of Tuspa.
The main attractions of Van are of course the like-named lake that is quite
unique as an alkaline lake with a pH of 9.8 and has its own ecosystem. In
addition there is Van's Urartian castle (Van Kalesi) that dates back
from the 9th century BC, the nearby island of Akdamar with the Armenian church
of the Holy Cross, the nearby Kurdish castle of Hoşap and the
Urartian palace at çavuştepe.
We found Hotel Yakut
(Tel: +(90) 432 214 28 32 - 216 75 24 - 216 34 80, Fax: (0432) 216
63 51 Kazım Karabekir Cad. PTT Sok. No:4) a nice place to stay in Van. A
good friend here was Mr. Hakkan Berki (Tel.: +(90) 432-216 19 97, mobile:
+(90) 535-714 67 59, e-mail: Hakkanberki65@hotmail.com).
He was of great help in showing us around, especially at Van Kalesi.
Click on the thumbnails to get a greater picture
