Kars to Van

Van is an actual place in eastern Turkey. It sits on the shores of Lake Van, the largest lake in Turkey and our destination today.

Our itinerary was as follows:

On our way to Van, however, we saw a site of biblical proportions, one of many on this trip. We drove right by Mt. Ararat, which is not only the tallest peak in Turkey but also the supposed resting place of Noah’s Ark after the famous biblical flood.

As you can see we skirted the Iran border and even saw the fencing between the two countries.

It loomed over much of our drive today.

As we got closer and closer.

For a while we were actually driving on the foothills of Ararat. Local tour guides claim to be able to take you to the final resting place of Noah’s Ark but that seems unlikely.

One of the stops along the way was to see the Ishak Pasha palace overlooking the town of Dogubeyazit. Dogubeyazit was known as “Doggy Biscuit” by the hippies in the 60’s when they crowded into town to experience its mystical ways.

The palace commands a full view of the valley below. We crept up the mountain from town and were rewarded with some pretty nifty sights.

Construction of Ishak Pasha began in 1685 and continued for about 100 years. It was damaged by an earthquake in 1840 (a theme around here) but restored within 40 years. The most beautiful room was the Ceremonial room where special events happened.

It was a beautiful fall day for us with big blue skies.

From there we headed to our final destination for the day. Lake Van is Turkey’s largest lake and is salty. It was formed from a volcanic eruption that blocked the drainage of water from the various streams in the area.

Lake Van covers an area of about 1,500 square miles with an average depth of more than 500 feet. So it’s substantial.

It is also in a very dramatic setting with large mountains ringing the lake.

The reason we were headed here was Akdamar Island, which is located about 3 kms off the south shore and you reach the island by ferry.

The attraction of the island is the Holy Cross Cathedral you get a peek of in the picture above.

The first structure on the island was a residence built by the King of Armenia around the year 915-921. By 1115 the Armenian Catholic church had laid claim to the island and built the Holy Cross Cathedral. It remained that until 1895 when the last known monk died on the island.

It has had several near death experiences since them with the closest being an order to be demolished in 1951. Only the intervention by journalist saved it.

Inside the structure are some stunning frescoes.

Many of these required restoration as they had been vandalized while the church was abandoned.

Can you imagine someone caring so little about something so beautiful?

One last shot from the inside.

The grounds are lovely, where you can see the remains of an ancient cemetary.

We had a gorgeous afternoon an Akdamar Island.

As you looked to the shore there was so much natural beauty to take in.

Akdamar regularly shows up on lists of must see things in Turkey and we can see why.

Tomorrow we head west to the 3000 year old town of Mardin. Please join us for our next leg of the trip!