Akdamar Island on Lake Van. Photo Courtesy of David Jennings.
Southeast Turkey is a land of majestic peaks, rugged plateaus and deep valleys, and at the heart of this magnificent landscape is Lake Van (Van Gölü), a vast inland sea ringed by snow-capped mountains.
With 1,443 square miles (3,738 square km) of surface area, Lake Van is Turkey’s largest lake, but it’s also the most unusual, filled as it is with eerily blue-green water and surrounded by soaring volcanic cones. The lake was formed when a volcano blew its top and blocked the course of a river, leaving the water, which today is six times saltier than the sea, with no natural outlet. Today, it is seldom visited, but certainly ranks as one of Turkey’s top attractions.
The towns of Adilcevaz and Ahlat, on Lake Van’s north shore, are worth visiting if you’re in the area, but you’ll probably want to head instead to Van and the nearby island of Akdamar, along the lake’s south shore. One of the best ways to enjoy the lake’s profound beauty is to spend a few days walking around its circumference, camping at the campsites along the way, but the lake’s main attractions are Mount Nemrut, the city of Van and Akdamar Island.
Van
Modern Van lies atop the ancient city of Tushpa, which was the capital of the Urartian kingdom as far back as the 9th century BCE. Back then the major settlements were centered on a steep hill that is known today as Van Castle, a few kilometers west of the modern city. The castle is free to climb and explore and offers great views over the city.
Van is located on the eastern shore of Lake Van and serves as a perfect base for long walks along the shoreline or for visiting the ancient Armenian church on Akdamar island — reachable by ferry from the highway just outside the city.
The modern city is also justifiably famous for its breakfasts. Van breakfast culture is celebrated throughout the country (most breakfast joints in Istanbul are called Van Breakfast Houses) and is best experienced on Kahvalti Sokak (Breakfast Street) near the city center.
Mount Nemrut
Across the lake from Van is one of Turkey’s most impressive natural wonders — the beautiful and rarely-visited crater lakes of Mount Nemrut. With an altitude of 3,050 meters, Mount Nemrut is the highest and most notable mountain in the area. It was the eruption of this mountain that blocked the outlets of surrounding rivers and caused Lake Van to form in ancient times. This dormant volcano has a number of lakes inside its caldera, one of which is always warm enough to swim in due to the nearby hot springs. Some hotels and bus companies in Van, as well as in the uninspiring town of Tatvan, provide tours to its summit and the lakes.