Van Tourist Map With Attractions Visiting Places

history

The history of Van dates back to 7000 BC. Excavations at Tilkitepe and Ernis Cemeteries to the north of Lake Van, 6 km south of the Van Fortress, yielded settlements dating to the Chalcolithic, Bronze and Iron ages. The civilized history of Van begins with the Urartians. Van was the center of the Urartian State, which covers the territory of today's Eastern Anatolia and Armenia. The Urartians weakened after the Scythian invasion and were destroyed by the Medes from Iran. Then, the region was dominated by Achaemenids, Alexander the Great, Seleucids, Armenians, Parthians, Romans, Sassanids and Eastern Romans (Greeks). In 644, the Muslim Arabs conquered this region and then the region passed to the Greeks again. The region was governed by local Armenian lords, who were attached to Abbasids or Greeks for a long time. From the 11th century onwards, the Lake Van basin, where the Turkmens began to settle, became a homeland for the Seljuks, then for the Ilkhanians, Celayirîs, Karakoyunlu and Akkoyunlu. After the removal of the Safavids from Eastern Anatolia in the 16th century, Ottoman rule began in Van. Armenian, Turkish, Kurdish and Arab populations lived in Van until the 20th century. Traditions developed under Ottoman and Iranian influence. Van is a beautiful geography where different cultures and communities can live together.

The city is from the Urartians. Van, the capital of the Urartians, was then called Tuspa. Semiramis, the first Assyrian Queen, founded the city. Hurris settled in this region before. During the Urartians, the city became an imperial center. After the Urartians, the city was dominated by Medes, Persians, Alexander the Great, Seleucids, Armenians, Parthians, Romans, Sassanids and Byzantines. In 675 AD, Muslim Arabs conquered the city and later the Byzantines, Seljuks and then Ilkhans, Celayirlis, Karakoyunlu, Akkoyunlu, Safavids and finally Ottomans dominated the city.

From 2000 BC onwards, the Hurris began to dominate a region starting from Lake Van, where Kızılırmak and Yeşilırmak spilled into the Black Sea. In the 13th century BC, the central authority of the Hurri-Mitanni political organization was weakened and divided into principalities. The Assyrian kings tried to dominate these small principalities and at this time the struggles between the Urartians and Assyrians started in the region around Lake Van to Western Iran. Urartu-Assyrian struggle century, the Urartians dominated this mountainous and difficult terrain conditions

Van Castle, the capital of the Urartians, is still standing in its 3000 years of glory. There are rock and chamber tombs, temples, inscriptions and some structures from the Urartians. Founded by the Urartian King Sarduri I and capital of Tuspa, the hamlets of the Urartian kings contain long inscriptions. The Horhor Inscription is the longest inscription in the castle and is located at the entrance to the tomb chamber of King Argishti. There are inscriptions written on big blocks in the sacred area of ​​Analı girls and this is an altar area. Foundations of a Urartian temple found in the inner castle. The purpose of the magnificent structure named Madır Burcu to the west of the castle is not known, but it is presumed to be a port. Excavations were made in the Van Castle Mound to the north of the fortress.

Until the First World War, the city of Van was located in the southern part of the fortress surrounded by walls. Later, when the Ottoman Empire entered the war with the Russians on the Caucasus Front, the Armenians rebelled in the city. As a result of these uprisings, Armenians and Russians seized the city.21 On May 19, 1915, Russian General Yudeniç entered Van. Here, the Armenians present the keys of the city and the castle to the general. On April 2, 1918, the Ottoman Army under the command of Ali İhsan Pasha reclaimed the Van, which was ruined by the Russians.

After this period, the city of Van was rebuilt at the foot of Mount Erek. The old Van has become unusable except for 1-2 mosques, and the buildings that survived until today could not stand.

The ruins of this city have survived. There are some ruins of the city walls and the only door that is intact is the South Gate. The Hüsrevpaşa Complex, which is the work of Mimar Sinan, is composed of inn, bath, tomb, imaret, fountain and madrasah. The only Turkish bath in the region is Çifte Hamam, an element of this complex. The only artifact used in the ancient Van today is Kaya Çelebi Mosque. The Grand Mosque of Van, which used to be a magnificent place in the past, has been demolished today and only its minaret has survived. In the same way, the minaret of Kizil Mosque has survived and the other parts have been demolished. S. Dsirvanor, S. Stephan, S. Vardan, p. Neshan, the city's oldest church, also known as the Double Church of S. Paulos and S. Petros Churches are located. In addition, the church of the Virgin Mary (S. crucifix, Tiramary) and the Church of John the Baptist (S. Hovhannes) built on top of the sign of Madir, where a piece of Jesus' cross was hidden, were destroyed. The foundations of Hüsrev Pasha Inn can be seen between Kaya Çelebi and Hüsrev Pasha Mosques. The Horhor Gardens, located in the west of the city, were the gardens within the city walls and were right in front of the Scaffolding Gate. There are also Horhor Mosque and Madrasah, which are still close to the gardens. Evliya Çelebi's splendid fortress and the Old City of Van are now neglected. There are also trails of footpaths in the city and small hills are formed in the area.

Republican period

Two devastating earthquakes occurred in October and November 2011 in the center of Van.

With Law No. 6360 issued in 2012 in Van province borders the territorial boundaries of metropolitan municipalities and founded Turkey after the 2014 local elections metropolitan municipality has started to work.