One thing I do not understand about towns and cities in Eastern Turkey is, the closer they are to huge body of water, the dustier the air becomes. Van, which is on the edge of Turkey's biggest lake, is a dusty city. The air smells of fine particles of dry dusts. And it is extremely dry out there as well. Which means one needs to drink a lot of water and bring some nasal spray if required.
The modern city of Van is a bustling town full of cars and good-looking men: a predominantly Kurdish city, the fact that the streets of Van are full of good-looking young men seems to lend support to the opinion of some that Kurdish men are in general a better looking lot than their Turkish counterparts.
Van is famous for several things: the biggest saline lake in Turkey, Lake Van; the unique Van cat, whose eyes consist of one green and one blue each; and the imposing Van castle overlooking the Van Lake. And the little island of Akdamar, with its trademark Armenian church and picturesque scenery all around, is probably one of the most well-known tourist attractions in the region.
To get to Akdamar Island, first of all one needs to get a mini-bus from Van to Gevas. At the pier at Gevas, the boats to Akdamar Island do not have a fixed time-table. Instead, visitors need to wait for perhaps 20-30 minutes before there are sufficient passengers for each departure. Basically, this is how it works: a boat costs 60TL to/from Gevas Pier to Akdamar Island. If you are willing to pay 60TL all on your own, fine, you can leave and return anytime you like. Otherwise you will have to wait until the boatman finds at least 10 or 12 fellow passengers with whom you can split the fare of 60TL. In my instance, I waited at the tea garden opposite the pier for about half an hour, till there were 10 passengers on board, and each paid 5TL for a return boat ride to the island.
The name of the boat which would take us to Akdamar Island is aptly named 'Jonas' (Yunus in Turkish).
The view of the entire Akdamar Island from the pier at Gevas.
The view of the lakeshore road between Van and Gevas.
The landmark of the Akdamar Island - the Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Cross - can be clearly seen from the distance as the boat slowly comes to dock at the little pier on the island. There is also a pretty tea garden on the island. On weekends, the island is a popular picnic venue for locals.
The Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Cross recently underwent a controversial restoration programme, but at least this landmark monument of former Armenian presence in this part of Turkey is still intact and standing, unlike countless Armenian churches all over eastern Turkey which have been less fortune and are left to rot in the open. The Cathedral is now a secular museum, again a point of contention for the Armenians, but at least it is now open to the public...
The Cathedral is well known for the engravings depicting scenes from the Bible, although the exact meanings of the wall figures and their cultural affinity are still subjects of intense academic debates between Armenian scholars and Turkish experts.
The fresco inside the Cathedral is badly damaged; while restoration work is still underway, it would take more than the meagre 2 million Turkish Lira allocated in the previous restoration programme if they want to bring the once vivid colours of the interior frescos back to life.
As said, the island is a popular picnic destination on weeekends, and there are several shallow coves where one could go swimming in the saline lake. It is also an idyllic way to spend a leisurely afternoon with family and friends, drinking tea, playing chess while admiring the picturesque scenery of Lake Van.
Copyrights@2010. All photos and Text by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.
The modern city of Van is a bustling town full of cars and good-looking men: a predominantly Kurdish city, the fact that the streets of Van are full of good-looking young men seems to lend support to the opinion of some that Kurdish men are in general a better looking lot than their Turkish counterparts.
Van is famous for several things: the biggest saline lake in Turkey, Lake Van; the unique Van cat, whose eyes consist of one green and one blue each; and the imposing Van castle overlooking the Van Lake. And the little island of Akdamar, with its trademark Armenian church and picturesque scenery all around, is probably one of the most well-known tourist attractions in the region.
To get to Akdamar Island, first of all one needs to get a mini-bus from Van to Gevas. At the pier at Gevas, the boats to Akdamar Island do not have a fixed time-table. Instead, visitors need to wait for perhaps 20-30 minutes before there are sufficient passengers for each departure. Basically, this is how it works: a boat costs 60TL to/from Gevas Pier to Akdamar Island. If you are willing to pay 60TL all on your own, fine, you can leave and return anytime you like. Otherwise you will have to wait until the boatman finds at least 10 or 12 fellow passengers with whom you can split the fare of 60TL. In my instance, I waited at the tea garden opposite the pier for about half an hour, till there were 10 passengers on board, and each paid 5TL for a return boat ride to the island.
The name of the boat which would take us to Akdamar Island is aptly named 'Jonas' (Yunus in Turkish).
The view of the entire Akdamar Island from the pier at Gevas.
The view of the lakeshore road between Van and Gevas.
The landmark of the Akdamar Island - the Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Cross - can be clearly seen from the distance as the boat slowly comes to dock at the little pier on the island. There is also a pretty tea garden on the island. On weekends, the island is a popular picnic venue for locals.
The Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Cross recently underwent a controversial restoration programme, but at least this landmark monument of former Armenian presence in this part of Turkey is still intact and standing, unlike countless Armenian churches all over eastern Turkey which have been less fortune and are left to rot in the open. The Cathedral is now a secular museum, again a point of contention for the Armenians, but at least it is now open to the public...
The Cathedral is well known for the engravings depicting scenes from the Bible, although the exact meanings of the wall figures and their cultural affinity are still subjects of intense academic debates between Armenian scholars and Turkish experts.
The fresco inside the Cathedral is badly damaged; while restoration work is still underway, it would take more than the meagre 2 million Turkish Lira allocated in the previous restoration programme if they want to bring the once vivid colours of the interior frescos back to life.
As said, the island is a popular picnic destination on weeekends, and there are several shallow coves where one could go swimming in the saline lake. It is also an idyllic way to spend a leisurely afternoon with family and friends, drinking tea, playing chess while admiring the picturesque scenery of Lake Van.
Copyrights@2010. All photos and Text by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.
hello my name is Yunus. I am from this city but i live in aspen, colorado. I am glad that someone posting about this city. It is really great city but needs someone to care about it which is happening now. I am pretty sure your next visit will be a lot more better.
ReplyDeletethe other thing for this city is needs some advertising.
well thank you again.
Hello Yunus,
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for your comment. I apologise for the late reply.
You will be very happy to know that many people also find Van a very interesting city to visit. I myself was very impressed by the scenery, the historical heritage available in the region, as well as the friendliness of the locals in Van and the surrounding towns.
The tourist infrastructure in Van has improved a lot over the recent years. With more budget flights and more mid-range hotels available, I am sure the city will be able to attract more visitors from abroad. But they certainly need to focus on more publicity and tourism promotion, especially in western Europe and North America.
Cheers!!