After having our famous Van breakfast and drinking our coffee in Van, we set out for Akdamar Island in order to make good use of the rest of the day.. Akdamar Island, which has one of the most famous Armenian Churches in Turkey, was opened with a very enthusiastic ceremony after the church was renovated.
To reach Akdamar Island from Van, you first need to take the Gevaş minibuses.. Gevaş is the first district of Van, after Edremit, on the shore of Lake Van.. The town where the movie Vizontele Tuuba was shot. We give 4 Lira each to Ford Transit minibuses for approximately 45 km.. These are probably the two regions where the Ford brand has the largest market share in Turkey.
GEVAS
Our journey along the shores of Lake Van is a little bit more when the minibus enters Gevaş. It’s getting longer.
I die of laughter when I see a cell phone dealer with the sign “Tasty contours available”. As you can guess, “Pırtik” means “piece.”. Just then, we come across a statue of an animal resembling a dinosaur on the square.
It turns out that this statue was once the representative statue of the Van Lake Monster, which was too busy on the agenda.
Out of the district, Akdamar Island’ We get off the minibus when we come to the pier to be transferred to. We are sitting in the cafe opposite the pier to have a rest due to the heat.
We watch Akdamar, who greets us from afar while drinking a beer under the trees.
A few foreign tourists, who are obviously coming from abroad, are at their tables like us. sipping beers.
NAME OF AKDAMAR
The most common answer to questions about where the name of Akdamar Island comes from points to a legend.
“The abbot, who lived on this island at the time, had a daughter named Tamara, whose beauty is legendary.. A young Muslim shepherd in the villages around the island fell in love with this girl.. This teenager swam to the island every night to meet Tamara.. Tamara, on the other hand, would wait for him with a lantern to tell him where he was at night.. The girl’s father, who was aware of this, went down to the shore of the island on a stormy night with a lantern in his hand and constantly changed places, causing the young man to swim in vain and lose his strength.. Tired of swimming, the young shepherd drowned and shouted “Oh Tamara!” with his last breath before drowning. he exclaimed. Hearing this, the girl immediately drowned, leaving herself in the waters of the lake.. Oh Tamara! It is said that his name transformed into an Octamar shape over time.. “
Although it is stated that this legend has little relevance to historical facts, this is the legend that is widely conveyed among the public.
According to historians, 9. It is stated that the name Ağtamar, which was recorded from the 16th century, may have been derived from the Arabic root “ĞMR”, a word meaning “bulge, bump”.. Akdamar, the Turkish version of the name, has been preferred by the official institutions of the Republic of Turkey since the 1980s.
Gevaş from Akdamar
TO THE CANDLE
The four corners of Lake Van It’s time to go to Akdamar, the biggest island of the island.
We arrive at the pier where the boats that will take us to the island leave.. There is a shop selling souvenirs, food and drinks at the entrance to the pier.. They sell a wide range of products from swimsuits, slippers, cigarettes and biscuits.
After paying the round trip fee of 5 Lira, we get on the next boat and sail into the waters of Lake Van.. It is urgent to take action on Lake Van, which is evident in every way that it is rapidly polluted.. Otherwise, a clean lake will be a dream at this rate.. The people of the region, who have to stand up to the pollution that is evident from the shore, come across as the one who commits the most betrayal.
While we are watching the lake from the boat, our eyes can see the church in more detail as we approach the island.
Akdamar Church
CHURCH
The church, which is known to have been built in 915 and completed in 921, has entered the history of Armenian architecture with its superior features. It is in a very important situation.
With the settlements added to the church in the 1200s, the island was opened to civil settlement.. Afterwards, the island, where only the monks remained, was left empty after the Armenians left the area with the 1915 events. The demolition work, which was started in Istanbul, was stopped by the intervention of Yaşar Kemal, who was a young journalist at that time and was aware of the incident by chance! As a step towards improving relations with the Armenians of Turkey and neighboring Armenia, it was restored by spending 1.5 million dollars.
Akdamar View
FIRST STEPS ON THE ISLAND
As we step onto the island, we come across a box office with a Museum Card poster facing us. After showing our rts, we walk up to the church.. After taking a few photos, we go inside to see the parts of the church that have been restored with a spending of 1.5 million dollars.. Although I do not understand much about restoration, it is very clear that what was done with the money spent here is like the work of an unfinished work.
The church seems to have been opened in haste after an unfinished and rushed work…
Gevaş from the garden of the church’ While looking at the city, I remember Lake Van and the image of the mountains stretching in sequence.. It was a dream for me to come here after Van…
After examining the reliefs outside the church in depth, I look at the boats coming from Gevaş to the island for a while…
Then I have a look at the Turkish flag at the tip of the island. hanging. As mentioned in history books, “Van Lake is a Turkish Lake!” I say and smile.
When the season of almond trees on the island comes, they bloom and display a beautiful view.. For now, it only has green leaves.
I am going down to the shore of the island, which has become a beach, to touch the water of the lake, next to the shack selling postcards and souvenirs on the island.. I am watching the Lake Van deeply among all the people entering the water…
First steps in Akdamar…
RETURN AND EDREMIT
It is time to return before it is too late We are on our way back.
We are having a nervous breakdown with the bus business logic unique to this region.. Since 10 people on the minibus we boarded in front of Akdamar Pier did not get off before boarding, we had to wait for 1.5 hours in the heat.. Wherever they have adopted this mentality, they must get rid of it as soon as possible.
We give our 4 Lira per person and turn back.. On the way, we get off on Edremit and watch the sunset by drinking our tea from the samovar on the shore of Lake Van.
Lake Van is a great blessing for the climate, people and nature of this region, but its value is not fully understood.. Authorities and locals urgently need to do something for the lake, starting from somewhere.. Otherwise, there may be irreversible consequences.
As we bid farewell to Van, another point where we will slowly discover Eastern Anatolia awaits us…
