Van
From Turkey Travel Guide
Van is a city in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. Called as the "Pearl of the East", Van is a city with great natural beauty and history.
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[edit] History
Archaeological studies show that human history goes back to 5000 BC in this region. Van was the capital of the Urartian kingdom in the 9th century BC and Urartians called it as Tushpa. The region was conquered by the Orontids in the 7th century BC and later by Persians in the mid 6th century BC. In 331 BC, Alexander the Great conquered Van and with his death, Van became a part of the Seleucid Empire.
In the 2nd century BC, Van was ruled by the Kingdom of Armenia. The Byzantine Empire controlled the region from 628 to 640. Later the city was controlled by the Muslim Arabs, followed by the local Armenian rulers. When the rulers of Kingdom of Ani took the control, they also founded the Kingdom of Vaspurakan. Seljuk Turks took the control in 1071 but later the Ahlatshahs and the Ayyubids ruled the region. In the 14th century it was ruled by Karakoyunlu Turks and then by the Timurids. In the 16th century, the Ottoman Empire and the Persian Safavid Empire were fighting over the region and the control was changing hands for a long time. When Ottoman Empire was collapsing, Armenians were well represented in the local administration. During World War I, so many Armenians were killed which is still an issue today if it was a genocide or not. The city has suffured a serious earthquake in the 1950s.
[edit]
In the eastern part Turkey, Van is located on the eastern shore of Lake Van (Van Gölü). The city is 1248 km away from Ankara ( approximately 22 hours) and 1644 km (28 to 34 hours) from Istanbul in the west.
[edit] Weather
Van is in the Eastern Anatolia region and therefore has this regions climate characteristics. Mountainous, rugged and chilly, in Van the coldest months are January and February with -8C while the warmest months are July & August with a temperature of 28C. Van’s weather is subject to an average of 68 days per year with greater than 0.1mm (0.004in) of rainfall. Between June to September are the best months to visit this city.
(°F)
(36)
(37)
(44)
(55)
(64)
(74)
(82)
(82)
(75)
(63)
(50)
(40)
(°F)
(19)
(20)
(27)
(38)
(45)
(52)
(59)
(59)
(52)
(43)
(33)
(25)
(inches)
(1.2)
(1.2)
(1.8)
(2.1)
(1.9)
(0.7)
(0.2)
(0.1)
(0.5)
(1.8)
(1.9)
(1.6)
[edit] Getting there
[edit] By plane
Van Airport (VAN) has flights from Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara and Antalya. It is located about 5-10 km away from the city. Outside the airport there are taxis or if you walk 10 minutes for the main street, there's a dolmuş stop. Again on the main street there's a bus station which belongs to the municipality.
[edit] By train
From Istanbul’s Haydarpaşa Train Station, there are trains (Vangölü Express) running to Tatvan, a town on the west side of Lake Van, three times a week which takes almost 42 hours. There's also an international train from Istanbul to Tehran (Trans-Asia Express) which stops in Van once per week [1].
[edit] By car
[edit] By bus
There are so many bus companies from many destinations in Turkey that have buses running to Van.
[edit] By boat
[edit] Getting around
[edit] By car
Driving around the city is recommended. There are several car rental services available such as; National Car Rental (Phone#+90-432-215 7782), Van Akdamar Rent A Car (Phone#90-432-215 8990).
[edit] By public transport
Van municipality has buses running through different routes in the city for a reasonable price. Mini van vehicles called as "Dolmuş" are offering easy access for cheap fees.
[edit] By foot
Walking around the city center is recommended but you need transportation to go near the Van Lake.
[edit] By bike
Van is a bicycle friendly city. Some environmental organizations had even organized biking camps around Van Lake to attract awareness.
[edit] See
Hüsrev Paşa Mosque was constructed by one of the viziers of Kanuni Sultan Süleyman, Van Beylerbeyi Hüsrev Paşa in 1567. Kaya Çelebi Mosque also has an interesting architecture belong to 16th century.
Celme Hatun Tomb is a mausoleum, constructed during the Karakoyunlular (Karakoyun Turks) period in 1358 in the memory of İzzettin Şir's daughter, Celme Hatun. Aliyar Tomb also belongs to one of the Karakoyunlu Shahs, Aliyar Bey.
Located on the Çarpanak Island, at the north east of Van Lake, Çarpanak Church was constructed during the beginning of 12th Century. Famous Akdamar Church is 55 km away from Van, and after 20 minutes of motor voyage from the wharf on Van-Tatvan road.
When you are in Van, you may see the world famous Van Cat (Van Kedisi) which is a breed of cat native to this town. Van Cat is known its white fur, eyes of different colors and the love of swimming and rain.things).
[edit] Do
Visit the local museum, the Rock of Van and the citadel.
Take a boat ride and enjoy the Van lake.
[edit] Eat
Van is famous for its breakfast culture. A traditional Van kahvaltısı (Breakfast of Van) has the traditional Otlu Peynir which is the cheese with plant. There are so many breakfast places around the city. Also for dinner, the grill restauarnt Tamara Ocakbaşı on Yüzbaşıoğlu street is highly recommended. There are high quality meat and fish dishes served at this restaurant.
[edit] Drink
Drinking tea is a tradition in Van's culture. Van natives value "tea" as an important tool for daily human interactions and a great symbol of friendship.
[edit] Sleep
[edit] Budget
Akdamar Hotel is taken its name from the nearby island of Akdamar and located in the city center and 5 km away from the airport.
[edit] Mid-Range
Buyuk Urartu Hotel [2] is located in centre of Van. It has has 75 rooms and 150 beds, including 63 twinbed, 9 frenchbed and 3 suite rooms.All rooms are equipped with direct dial telephone, minibar, safe box, wireless internet, satellite tv, shower, bathtub, wc, hair dryer, telephone in bathroom, music broadcast, central heating, generator.
[edit] Upscale
Merit Şahmaran Hotel [3] is located near Van Lake, close to the city centre and 7 km to the airport. This 4* hotel provides a world of relaxation and recreation such as children swimming pool, heated (indoor) swimming pool, swimming pool, Turkish bath, sauna, fitness center, jogging path, children's playground, canoe, all water sports.
[edit] Work
You need a work visa and residence permit, which means you must have an employer in Turkey who's willing to help you obtain these documents as well as submitting the necessary documents to Turkey's Ministry of Labor and Social Security.
[edit] Learn
Yüzüncü Yıl University [4] has 10 faculties, 18 vocational schools, 3 institutes and 15 research and application centres, and acquired its place among the developed universities as an institution that aims to contribute to science, targeting and following the major developments in all fields of contemporary sciences.
[edit] Keep connected
[edit] Internet
TTNET [5] provides fast and secure broadband internet access in Van as it does 81 provinces all over the country.
[edit] Phone
Phone code for Van is +90 (432)
[edit] Post
The post office in the city center is located at Cumhuriyet Caddesi, Turizm Sokak, No:1 and openned between 08.00am until 07.00pm during the weekdays and until 09.00pm in the weekends.
[edit] Safety
Van İl Emniyet Müdürlüğü (City Police Department) [6]
[edit] Stay Healthy
Van Devlet Hastanesi (State hospital) [7] is located at the address of Vali Mithat Bey Mahallesi, Hastane Caddesi and the phone number is +90-432-215 7600.
Medical Park Van Hospital [8] is a part of the Medical Park Group of private hospitals and located at Selim Bey Mah., Kale Yolu Üzeri with the phone number +90 (432) 227 3246.
[edit] External links
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