5.Van:

Van and its environment had been a popular center of population because of its geographical structure, and because of reason a number of civilizations had lived here. Van used to be the capital city of Urania State. It had been controlled by Hurrines, Hittites, Persians, Meds, Seljuks and Ottomans till today.

Lake Van is the most important tourism center of the Eastern Anatolia with the Akdamar Church, the castles in the region, with its cat, and with its geography that provides many tourism activities.

Districts : Bahçesaray, Başkale, Çaldıran, Çatak, Edremit, Erciş, Gevaş, Gürpınar, Muradiye, Özalp and Saray.

Van Lake and Akdamar Island

 

The city takes its name from the Van Lake. It is the biggest sodium carbonate Lake in the world. The Lake is covered with high mountains. There four islands in the lake; named, Akdamar, Adır, Çarpanak, and Kuş Islands. It had been given many names to the Lake in the history, like Little Sea, High Sea, and Nairi sea. The water of the Van Lake is very salty and full of sodium carbonate. It foams without using any soap. One can wash his/her clothes in the Lake without using and detergents. The color of the Van Lake changes at any time of the date and at any time of the year. The unspoiled and green shores effects the visitors.

Akdamar Island is the greatest island in the lake. The church founded by King Gagic is an unique example of stone handcraft. It can be reached to island by taking the boats from Gevaş Wharf.

 

CASTLES

Van can be called as “the city of castles”. There are many castles in Van. Some of these castles had been constructed in the Middle Ages, and some had been made at the times of Uranians.

The most important castles at the region are; Down and Upper Zıvistan Castles, Beyüzümü Castle, Çatak Castle, Lamurkesen (Zernek) Castle, Hişet Castle, Pizan (Örenkale) Castle, Kalecik Castle, Zernaki Hill Castle, Muradiye Castle, Albak (Başkale) Castle, Deliçay Castle, Çelebibağ Castle, Yoncatepe Castle, Müküs Castle and Amik Castle.

 

Van Castle Van Castle is within the borders of Van city. It is 5 km away from the city center. It is one of the most magnificent castles of Urinian civilization. It had been founded by the son of Lutupri, Sarduri the 1st in the 9th century. On the walls of the castle, there exists the oldest Urinian hieroglyphics. The rock tombs, and the Horhor inscriptions are the other important characteristics of the castle.

The old houses, thermal baths, mosques and vaults in the old city center makes you take a trip in the history.

Hoşap Castle takes place within the borders of Hoşap District, and it is 60 km away from Van city center. The castle had been constructed on a sloppy rock. There are watch towers, towers, mosques, and many other authentic values in the castle. There also exists the oldest Ottoman Bridge of the region at the south of the castle.

Akdamar Church It is the church that gives its name to the biggest island of the Van Lakewhich it is on. It is at the southeast of the island and 3 m away from the shore. It can be reached to the island by boats.

It had been founded by King Gagik for the honor of sacred cross. There are a variety of figurative representations in the church, such as the banishing of Adam and Eve from the Heavben, and the birth of Jesus Christ.

 

Adır Church takes place on the Adır Island of the Van Lake. It had been made in 1305. Saint George’s Church had been added to the main complex at 1621.

Seven Church It had been constructed to the foots of Erek Mountain in the 8th century.

 

The Van Cat Home

The Van cat is a distinctive landrace of domestic cat, found mainly in the Lake Van region of eastern Turkey. It is large, all-white, and frequently odd eyed. The naturally occurring Van cat type is popularly believed[weasel words] to be basis of the Turkish Van breed, internationally selectively bred with a more recently developed ruddy colouring pattern on the white, as standardised and recognised by many cat fancier organisations. However, one of the breeds' founders has stated that none of the original cats used to found the formal breed came from the Lake Van area, but other parts of Turkey.The capitalised and run-together term "Turkish Vankedisi" is confusingly used by some organisations as a name for all-white specimens of the formal Turkish Van breed.

History

A Van kitten from the Turkish village of Agarti (formerly Ayanis), near the city of Van, 2005.

The Van cat has been reported living in the vicinity of the city of Van for centuries. The landrace is named Van kedi (plural kediler, nominative plural kedisi) in Turkish, Vana katou or Vana gadou in Armenian,and pisîka Wanê in Kurdish.All of these names literally translate to 'cat of Van' or 'Van cat'. Some sources associate the cat with the Armenian people of the Lake Van area, who have been said to have "revered" the Vana katou.

At the end of the 19th century, Sultan Abdul Hamid II is said to have owned a Van cat, and having one is still seen as a status symbol: a Prime Minister of Turkey received one as a gift, and an ambassador from Greece put himself on a waiting list to get one. Kittens for the breeding center could be purchased for $282 in 2011, and currently the Turkish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock does not regulate the export of these or any other cats from Turkey.

Odd-eyed Van kitten

The cats are notable for their lean, long-legged appearance. Van cats are known for swimming in Lake Van (This may be the source of the popular but possibly false or exaggerated belief that the formal Turkish Van breed is innately more fond of water that the average cat.)

Their most notable genetic characteristic is their almond-shaped eyes that often are mismatched colours. The most valued and valuable members of the type generally have one amber-green eye and one blue eye.

An adult female Van cat photographed at the Van Cat Research Centre, Yüzüncü Yıl University, 2006.

The Van cat is a landrace (naturally occurring variety), not a formal breed of cat. They can still be found in east Turkey, near Lake Van, although their numbers have diminished (a 1992 survey found only 92 pure Van cats in their native area).

There is a breeding programme for the all-white variety, the Van Cat Research Centre (a.k.a. the Van Cat House),[clarification needed] established in 1993 at the campus of Yüzüncü Yıl University. However, reports have suggested that the living conditions for the cats held there leaves much to be desired, and the breeding programme seems to be ineffective in reversing the Van cats' declining numbers. As of 2006, the center housed about 100 young adults and kittens, and is open to the public for a nominal entrance fee.