1 DAY
17:00 Van Yüzüncü Yıl University Cat House (Free)
 

3 DAYS

08.30 Akdamar Island (Ferry Fee and Entrance Fee (Museum Card))
14.00 Van Castle (Entrance Fee (Museum Card)) and Van Museum (Entrance Fee (Museum Card))

Van Cat House

Located within Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, Van Cat House is home to the world-famous Van Cats, known for their unique beauty. These cats are distinguished by their predominantly white fur and heterochromatic eyes, one blue and one amber. Native to the region around Lake Van in Eastern Turkey, Van Cats are natural swimmers, renowned for their love of water. Van Cat House serves to protect these unique felines, ensuring their health and care needs are met.

Van Cats are generally known for their friendly nature, openness to human interaction, and playful demeanor. The university also conducts significant research to preserve and study the genetic characteristics of these cats. Van Cat House offers visitors an opportunity to learn about Van Cats and increase awareness of this unique species. In this space, mirroring their natural habitat, visitors can interact directly with Van Cats and gain deeper insights into this rare breed.

Akdamar Island

Accessible by a twenty-minute boat ride from the pier on the Van-Tatvan highway, Akdamar Island in Lake Van is renowned for its original church. Located 55 km from Van, the island hosts the Akdamar Church, built by the famous architect Monk Manuel during 915-921 AD under the reign of King Gagik I of the Vaspurakan Dynasty. The church, designed in a clover-shaped cross plan with a central dome, is constructed of red cut tuff stone.

The exterior stone reliefs of the church depict religious themes from the Bible and Torah, along with worldly subjects, court life, hunting scenes, and various human and animal figures. These reliefs exhibit influences of 9th and 10th-century Abbasid Art as well as Central Asian Turkish art. The interior walls of the church were once adorned with religious-themed frescoes, which are now nearly lost, representing some of the most comprehensive and earliest examples of wall paintings in the region. A ferry fee and entrance fee are required, with the Museum Card accepted.

Van Castle

The castle is located 5 km from the center of Van city, situated on an east-west oriented rock mass in the Van plain. This rocky structure has impressive dimensions: 20-120 meters wide, 1800 meters long, and 100 meters high. Its topography is steep and rugged in the south, while more sloped in the north. Built between 840-825 BC by the Urartian King Sarduri I, the castle served as the capital of the Urartu State, known as Tuşpa. It contains historical remnants from the Urartians, including the Madır Tower, an open-air temple, rock tombs, and carved fortress walls. After the Urartians, there were no significant additions to the castle until the Ottoman period, except for a Persian inscription.

During the Ottoman era, the castle was used for military purposes and various structures were added. The fortifications were reinforced with rubble, adobe, and cut stone materials. The main city was established south of the castle, surrounded by walls, and has reached today in its post-1915 damaged state. Entrance fee is applicable, but the Museum Card is accepted.

Van Museum

Van, located in the Eastern Anatolia Region in the basin of Lake Van, boasts a rich history dating back to the Paleolithic era. Situated on the Silk Road, this ancient city has been a significant center during the Urartian, Seljuk, and Ottoman periods. The idea of establishing a museum to preserve the cultural assets of Van, which hosted numerous civilizations, emerged in 1932. The museum started as a Museum Office in 1945 and later as a Museum Directorate in 1972. In our new museum building, a select collection representing periods from Paleolithic to the Ottoman Empire is exhibited. The 10,000 m² museum complex offers a diverse experience with facilities including a cafeteria, conference hall, classrooms, a specialized library, children's play areas, a souvenir shop, and temporary exhibition halls. Entrance fee is applicable, but the Museum Card is accepted.