Van, a niche travel destination in Türkiye

Van, a niche travel destination in Turkey Van is famous for its Van cats. Most people who go to Turkey choose to go on vacation to the western and southern coasts, and few people go to Van, so there are relatively few tourists here, and you can have more local experiences, such as smoking a hookah in the lakeside restaurant by Lake Van and watching the sunrise and sunset of Lake Van Four must-see attractions in Van Lake Van Lake Van is located near the border between Turkey and Iran, with an area of ​​about 3,713 square kilometers, and is the largest lake in Turkey. On its eastern shore is Van, the capital of the Kingdom of Urartu. Part of the capital of the kingdom is hidden at the bottom of Lake Van, covering an area of ​​more than one square kilometer. Lake Van also gets its name from Van. Lake Van and the city of Van are like a chance encounter between a piece of white paper and ink. After the meeting, they depend on each other and achieve each other. Their laughter and tears are closely related to the Kingdom of Urartu. This kingdom, known in Babylonian as Urartu and in Old Persian as we know it as Armenia, was founded in the 9th century B.C. Van Castle (stunning sunset) Located in the center of Van, it is an ancient castle built in the 9th century BC and is one of the best-preserved ancient castles in Türkiye. In the Van Castle, you can still see the oldest remains of Van, a stele engraved with Assyrian cuneiform characters that praise the heroic deeds of King Sarduri I of the Urartu Kingdom. Akdaman Island The only building on Akdaman Island is the famous Armenian church Akdamar Holy Cross Church (Akdamar Kilisesi). In 921 AD, Gagik Artzruni, the king of Vaspurkan, built a palace, a church, and a monastery on the island. The palace and the monastery are almost completely gone, but the church has survived largely intact. The church is a typical Armenian church with a height of 20.4 meters from the ground to the dome. The church later became the seat of Akdaman Catholic Church. After 1920, the Armenian race was persecuted and the church suffered serious damage. Fortunately, the damage to the outer wall was not serious and the cross on the top of the church has remained there. The outer walls of the church are decorated with exquisite reliefs, and murals and sculptures are preserved inside. Ishak Pasha Palace Doubayazit is located in the northeast of Van. Surrounding it are the gorgeous Kurdish palace Ishak Pasha Palace (ishak Pasa Sarayl), the mysterious ruins of Noah's Ark and the majestic Mount Ararat. These names make this "one-street" town near Iran and Armenia particularly noticeable. Transportation There are flights from Istanbul to Van. We drove by ourselves. The total distance from Cappadocia to Van is about 1,200 kilometers.