Van, Turkey: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 19:18, 3 July 2026

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File:City of Van (view from Van Kalesi).jpg

City of Van (view from Van Kalesi)

File:F124I30.OldCityOfVanRuins.cn.jpg

Ruins of ancient Van

VanTemplate:Efn is a city in eastern Turkey's Van Province, on the eastern shore of Lake Van. It is the capital and largest city of Van Province.

Van has a long history as a major urban area. It has been a large city since the first millennium BCE, initially as Tushpa, the capital of the kingdom of Urartu from the 9th century BCE to the 6th century BCE, and later as the center of the Armenian kingdom of Vaspurakan. Turkic presence in Van and in the rest of Anatolia started as a result of Seljuk victory at the Battle of Malazgirt (1071) against the Byzantine Empire.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Van was densely populated by Armenians until the Armenian genocide in the 1910s. Today, it is mostly inhabited by Kurds.^[4]^[5]

History

File:UrartianCaldron02.jpg

An Urartian cauldron at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations

Archaeological excavations and surveys carried out in Van Province indicate that the history of human settlement in this region goes back at least as far as 5000 BCE. The Tilkitepe Mound, which is on the shores of Lake Van and a few kilometres to the south of Van Castle, is the only source of information about the oldest culture of Van.

Urartu

File:Xerxes Cuneiform Van.JPG

Inscription of Xerxes the Great on the cliffs below Van castle

Under the ancient name of Tushpa, Van was the capital of the Urartian kingdom in the 9th century BCE. The early settlement was centered on the steep-sided bluff now known as Van Castle (Van Kalesi), close to the edge of Lake Van and a few kilometers west of the modern city. Urartian cuneiform inscriptions dating to the 8th and 7th centuries BCE have been found here. The name 'Van' comes from the Urartian endonym Biaina.^[6] A "conservative" estimate by Charles A. Burney put the population of Tushpa and its suburbs at 50,000.^[7]^[8]

Kingdom of Armenia

The region came under the control of the Orontids in the 7th century BCE and quickly later the Persians in the mid-6th century BCE. Van Fortress, located outside Van city center, holds an inscribed stereotyped trilingual inscription of Xerxes the Great from the 5th century BCE upon a smoothed section of the rock face, some Script error: No such module "convert". above the ground near the fortress. The inscription survives in near perfect condition and is divided into three columns of 27 lines written in (from left to right) Old Persian, Babylonian, and Elamite. In 331 BCE, Van was conquered by Alexander the Great and after his death became part of the Seleucid Empire. By the early 2nd century BCE it was part of the Kingdom of Armenia. It became an important center during the reign of the Armenian king, Tigranes II, who founded the city of Tigranakert in the 1st century BCE.^[9] In the early centuries BCE, it fell to the emerging Arsacid dynasty of Parthia until the 3rd century CE. However, it also fell once to the Arsacid dynasty of Armenia in this timespan. In the History of Armenia attributed to Movses Khorenatsi, the city is called Tosp, from Urartian Tushpa.^[10]

Byzantines, Sassanids, and the Artsrunis

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Historical affiliations

File:13-Urartu-9-6mta.gif Urartu 832 BC–590 BC
File:Yervanduni Armenia, IV-II BC.gif Satrapy of Armenia 570 BC–321 BC
Kingdom of Armenia 321 BC–428 AD
Armenian Marzbanate 428–646
File:Map of the Caucasus, 740 CE.svg Arminiya 654–884
Bagratid Armenia 884–1024
↳Kingdom of Vaspurakan 908–1024
Byzantine Empire 1024–1071
Seljuk Empire 1071–1100s
Mongol Empire 1240s–1330s
File:Safavid Flag.svg Safavid Empire 1502–1515, 1520–1548, 1604–1639
File:Flag of Ottoman Empire (1517-1793).svg Ottomans 1515–1520, 1548–1604, 1639–1915
File:Flag of Armenia (1918–1922).svg Republic of Armenia 1918–1920
File:Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey 1922–Present

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Following the fall of the Parthians and the emergence of the Neo-Persian Empire, better known as the Sasanian Empire,^[11] the town fell into the possession of the latter. During the over 700 years-long Roman-Persian Wars, some of the wars were waged at and around the location of modern-day Van. The Byzantine Empire briefly held the region from 628 to 640, following the victory in the climactic Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628, after which it was invaded by the Muslim Arabs, who consolidated their conquests as the province of Arminiya.^[12] Decline in Arab power eventually allowed local Armenian rulers to re-emerge, with the Artsruni dynasty soon becoming the most powerful.^[13] Initially dependent on the rulers of the Kingdom of Ani, they declared their independence in 908, founding the Armenian Kingdom of Vaspurakan.^[14] The kingdom had no specific capital: the court would move as the king transferred his residence from place to place, such as Van city, Vostan, Aghtamar, etc.^[14] In 1021 the last king of Vaspurakan, John-Senekerim Artsruni, ceded his entire kingdom to the Byzantine Empire, which established the Vaspurakan theme on the former Artsruni territories. Van was called Eua or Eva (Template:Langx) during Byzantine rule.^[15]

Seljuk Empire and Rum

Incursions by the Seljuk Turks into Vaspurakan started in the 1050s. After their victory in 1071 at the battle of Manzikert, the entire region fell under their control.^[16] After them, local Muslim rulers emerged, such as the Ahlatshahs and the Kurdish Ayyubids (1207). For a 20-year period, Van was held by the Anatolian Seljuk Sultanate until the 1240s when it was conquered by the Mongols. In the 14th century, Van was held by the Timurids, followed by the Turkoman Kara Koyunlu and Ak Koyunlu confederations.

Turco-Iranian rivalry and the Ottoman era

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File:Wan,Mizgefta Hezretî Omer.JPG

Hz. Ömer Mosque in Van

File:Van, Van Merkez-Van, Turkey - panoramio (9).jpg

A replica of a 19th-century house

The first half of the 15th century saw the Van region become a land of conflict as it was disputed by the Ottoman Empire and the neighboring Persian Safavid Empire. The Safavids captured Van in 1502, as it went naturally with all former territories of the Ak Koyunlu. The Ottomans took the city in 1515 following the climactic Battle of Chaldiran and held it for a short period. The Safavids retook it in 1520 but the Ottomans gained an almost definite hold of it in 1548 during another Ottoman-Safavid war. Ottoman control over the town was confirmed in the 1555 Peace of Amasya which came as a result after the end of the war. They first made Van into a sanjak dependent on the Erzurum eyalet, and later into a separate Van eyalet in about 1570. In 1604, the Safavids under king Abbas the Great recaptured Van alongside other swaths of lost territories in Eastern Anatolia. However, Ottoman control over it was at last now made final and definite in 1639 with the Treaty of Zuhab.

File:Wan Tournefort.png

Van from Joseph Pitton de Tournefort's 1717 book Relation d'un voyage du Levant

File:The Rock and Walled City of Van (1893).jpg

The rock and walled city of Van in 1893 by H. F. B. Lynch

During the early 1900s, the city of Van had eleven Armenian schools and ten Turkish schools.^[17] Towards the second half of the 19th century Van began to play an increased role in the politics of the Ottoman Empire due to its location near the borders of the Persian, Russian and Ottoman Empire, as well as its proximity to Mosul. During the period leading up to the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, Armenians were well represented in the local administration.^[18]

Ottoman Era demographics

The demographics of Ottoman Van are a debated and contentious point as they relate directly to claims of ownership by either side prior to the outbreak of World War I. For the city of Van itself it has been estimated that it had around 50,000 inhabitants prior to World War I, of whom 30,000 were Armenian and 20,000 were Muslims. Based on the official 1914 Ottoman census, the population of Van province consisted of 179,422 Muslims and 67,797 Armenians.^[19] The Ottoman census figures include only male citizens, excluding women and children, and according to more recent research, an estimate for Van province (including women and children) is that it had 313,000 Muslims, 130,000 Armenians, and 65,000 others, including Assyrians.^[20]

The demographics of Van are a greatly debated point also given the changing provincial borders. For example, in 1875 the province was divided; Van and Hakkari were separated, only to be rejoined in 1888, drastically changing the census numbers. Some writers argue that this merging was done to keep the Armenians from forming a majority.^[21] In 1862 it was estimated that in Van there were 90,100 Christians (including Syriac Christians) and 95,100 Muslims.^[22] The French Consul in Van reported that in Van and Bitlis 51.46% were Kurds, 32.70% were Armenians and 5.53% were Turks.^[23] On the other hand, the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople estimated 185,000 Armenians in Van, 18,000 Assyrians, 72,000 Kurds, 47,000 Turks, 25,000 Yezidis, 5,000 Zazas and 3,000 Gypsies.^[24] Both sides have been accused of over-counting the numbers at the time given the Armenian genocide and population statistics became important during the Berlin Conference.^[25]

The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878

During this war the Kurdish Sheikh Jelaludin led thousands of soldiers to massacre Armenians of the province and destroyed and plundered many of their villages.^[26] These events are described in Armenia and the Campaign of 1877 by British war correspondent Charles B. Norman and in the fictional novella Jalaleddin by the Armenian novelist Raffi in very similar terms.^[27]

World War I and Armenian genocide

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File:Old City Van 2009.JPG

Ruins of the old walled city of Van seen from the castle rock

The Armenian genocide in Van Province started in late 1914 with attacks by the Ottoman Empire's Special Organization and affiliated paramilitaries.^[28] The regional Albanian administrator, Djevdet Bey, was reported to have said that "We have cleansed the Armenians and Syriac Christians from Azarbaijan, and we will do the same in Van".^[29] Numerous reports from Ottoman officials, such as a parliament deputy, the governor of Aleppo as well as the German consul in Van, suggested that deliberate provocations against the Armenians were being orchestrated by the local government.^[29] In mid-April 1915, Cevdet Bey ordered the execution of four Armenian leaders,^[30]^[31] and he demanded that all Armenian males of military age gather before him, which drove the Armenians to take up arms in self-defense.^[32] On the other hand, historian and sociologist Taner Akçam acknowledges that in the case of Van, the deportations may have been driven by military necessity^[33] and states the resistance in Van should be examined as a separate case, although this is very similar to official turkish positions denying the Armenian Genocide.^[34]

File:ATD of the regions of Turkey occupied by Russian troops during WW1.png

Van region in the administrative-territorial division of the regions of Turkey occupied by Russian troops during World War I 1916–1917

In April 1915, as slaughter was being inflicted upon the rural populations surrounding Van, the Armenian residents of the city launched a rebellion hoping to avoid the same fate, defending themselves in the Armenian quarters of the city against the Turks.^[35] The Russians finally relieved the Armenian defenders of Van in late May 1915 and local Armenians gave the keys of the city to Russian general Nikolai Yudenich on May 21. In August, a victory over the Russian army allowed the Ottoman army to retake Van. In September 1915, the Russians forced the Turks out of Van for the second time. Russian forces began to leave the area after the October Revolution in Russia in 1917, and by April 1918, it was recaptured by the Ottoman army again. According to Taner Akçam, citing the Osmanli Belgelerinde Ermeniler 1915–1920 (Armenians in Ottoman Documents, 1915–1920), after the Turks took back the city from the Russians, they killed the Armenian population in the city.^[36] Clarence Ussher, an American physician and missionary in Van, and an eye-witness to the events, reported that 55,000 Armenians had been killed.^[37]^[38] The end of World War I forced the Ottoman army to surrender its claim to Van.

Turkish War of Independence and Republic

File:Iskele St. Van.JPG

Streets of the city center

File:IOC Offshore Van Grand Prix 2010.JPG

IOC Offshore Van Grand Prix 2010

File:Festîvala u Behra Wanê.JPG

Festival of Van lake 2011

In the Treaty of Sèvres, the Entente Powers decided to cede the city to the First Republic of Armenia. Turkish revolutionaries, led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, rejected the terms of the treaty and instead waged the Turkish War of Independence. However, the idea of ceding Van to the Armenians was floated, and İsmet İnönü was said to have surveyed army officers on 14 October 1919 on the issue of ceding Van and Bitlis. However, the parliament in Ankara rejected any compromise on this issue.^[39]Script error: No such module "Unsubst". By 1920, Van fell under Turkish control again and its remaining Armenian inhabitants were expelled in a final round of ethnic cleansing.^[35] With the Treaty of Lausanne and Treaty of Kars, the Treaty of Sèvres was annulled and Van remained de facto under Turkish sovereignty.

By the end of the conflicts, the town of Van was empty and in ruins. The city was rebuilt after the war a few kilometers east of the ancient citadel, which is now known as Van Castle (Van Kalesi). The city now lies at about Script error: No such module "convert". above sea level.

Tourism

File:Akhtamar Island on Lake Van with the Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Cross.jpg

Lake Van

The main places with tourism potential in Van are Hoşap Castle, Muradiye Fall, Akdamar Island, Van Castle, Lake Turna, Lake Akgöl and Van Museum.

Politics

File:2019 Turkish local elections BDP & HDP.png

HDP won in a landslide in Van in the 2019 municipal elections.

In the 2019 municipal elections, Bedia Özgökçe Ertan of the HDP party was elected mayor of Van. In August 2019 she was dismissed and subsequently sentenced to 30 years imprisonment accused of supporting terrorism as part of a government crackdown against politicians of the Kurdish HDP party; the Turkish state appointed an unelected state-trustee, Mehmet Emin Bilmez, in her place. Many other Kurdish mayors in other Kurdish cities across the region also suffered a similar fate.^[40]^[41] Protests against the decision arose which were suppressed by the Turkish police with the use of water cannons; some protestors were killed.^[42]^[43]^[44]

Demographics

At the end of 2024 the population figure for the city of Van was 522,885 (Ipekyolu, Tusba),^[45] but former Mayor Burhan Yengun is quoted as saying it may be as high as 600,000.^[46] The former Van Central (Merkez) District stretched over 1,938.14 km², but has subsequently been split into two new districts (İpekyolu and Tuşba).^[47] Today, Van has a Kurdish majority and Turkish minority.^[48] Scholars examining language use in the Van region have documented Kurmanji as the predominant spoken language among the city's Kurdish population.^[49] Sociolinguistic surveys of Kurdish-majority provinces, including Van, have found high rates of daily Kurdish language use among the Kurdish population, alongside varying degrees of Turkish bilingualism.^[50]

Language

Kurmanji (Northern Kurdish) is the principal language spoken by the Kurdish majority in Van. A sociolinguistic study of the Van community by Sherwani and Barlik (2020) documented Kurmanji as the predominant vernacular among the city's Kurdish residents, while Turkish functions as the language of public administration and formal education.^[49] Research on language demographics in Kurdish-majority southeastern Turkey has identified Van among the provinces with substantial Kurdish-speaking populations.^[50]

Geography

The city of Van is located at the western foot of Mount Erek.

Climate

Van has a Mediterranean-influenced humid continental climate (Köppen: Dsa, Trewartha: Dc) with cold, snowy winters and very warm, dry summers. Precipitation can be observed for the majority of the year, with a slight peak during spring and autumn, and a brief dry summer from July to September.

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Landmarks

File:Wan JPG.jpg

View of the city from Van Castle

The modern city is located on the plain extending from the Lake Van, at a distance of Script error: No such module "convert". from the lake shore. Reports have appeared over the years of a certain Lake Van Monster said to live in the lake. Lake Erçek is the second largest lake in the region and lies just east of Lake Van.

Van has often been called "The Pearl of the East" because of the beauty of its surrounding landscape. An old Armenian proverb in the same sense is "Van in this world, paradise in the next".^[51] This phrase has been slightly modified in Turkish as Dünyada Van, ahirette iman or "Van for this world, faith for the next".

The city is home to Van Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi (Van 100th Year University) and recently came to the headlines for two highly publicized investigations initiated by the Prosecutor of Van, one of which was focused on accusations against the university's rector, Hasan Ceylan, who was kept in custody for a time. He was finally acquitted but lost his rectorate. He is a grandson of Agop Vartovyan, an Ottoman Armenian who is accepted as the founder of modern Turkish theatre. Hasan Ceylan is also the department chairman of Environmental Engineering at Van Yüzüncü Yıl University.

File:Vankahvalti.jpg

Famous breakfast table in Van

Earthquakes

Script error: No such module "labelled list hatnote". In 1941, Van suffered a destructive 5.9 M_w earthquake.^[52] A more severe 7.2 M_w earthquake occurred on 23 October 2011.^[53] On the 9 November 2011, another earthquake caused several buildings to collapse.^[54]

Cuisine

In culinary terms, as some cities in Turkey became renowned for their kebab culture or other types of traditional local dishes, Van has distinguished itself with its breakfast culture.^[55]

Transport

File:Van Ferit Melen Airport.jpg

Van Ferit Melen Airport

File:Van Railway Station.jpg

Van Railway Station

Van stands on Highway D300, which runs from the Iranian border 100 km east at Kapikoy through Van then along the south lake shore to Tatvan (100 km), and westwards to the rest of Turkey. Highway D975 runs north to Dogubeyazit and south towards Hakkari. Frequent buses and dolmuses ply these highways.

Van is the western terminus of the railway line from Iran, with freight and passenger trains (suspended between 2015 and 2018). There is a train ferry (upgraded in 2015) across the lake to Tatvan. There is no railway around the lake; it is intended eventually to build one but to date there are no plans.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". This would actually create an unbroken rail link between Europe and the Indian subcontinent, as Tatvan is the terminus of the line to Ankara and Istanbul.

Van has daily flights to Istanbul, Ankara and other major Turkish cities from Ferit Melen Airport.

Media

Near Van, there is a longwave broadcasting station with a Script error: No such module "convert". guyed mast. It went in service in 1990 and operates on 225 kHz with 600 kW. It has also local news outlets like Van Gazetesi or Gazete Van.^[56]

Notable people

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Hanımzer Melet (born 1993), national team wheelchair basketball player.^[57]
Vardan Ajemian (born 1905), Van born, Armenian theatrical director and actor. He was named People's Artist of USSR in 1965 and Hero of Socialist Labour in 1975.

Van cat

File:VAN CAT.png

Van cat

The Van cat is a breed of cat native to this town and named after it. It is noted for its white fur, and for having differently colored eyes.^[58]

Twin towns – Sister cities

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Van is twinned with:

Gallery

Former Town of Van in 2009

Former Town of Van in 2009
Former Town of Van in 2009

Former Town of Van in 2009
Former Town of Van in 2009

Former Town of Van in 2009
View of Van from the Van Castle

View of Van from the Van Castle

Notes

Template:Notelist

References

↑ Haldon, John. Byzantium at War AD 600 - 1453. p. 46. ISBN 1-84176-360-8.
↑ Holt, Peter Malcolm; Lambton, Ann Katharine Swynford & Lewis, Bernard (1977). The Cambridge History of Islam. pp. 231–232.
↑ Barber, Malcolm. The Crusader States Yale University Press. 2012. ISBN 978-0-300-11312-9. Page 9
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↑ Edmund Herzig, Marina Kurkchiyan, The Armenians: Past And Present In The Making Of National Identity, p. 31.
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↑ The Journal of Roman Studies – Page 124 by Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies
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↑ The Met Museum Website: The Sasanian Empire (224–651 CE)
↑ The Cambridge Medieval History Series volumes 1–5 by Plantagenet Publishing, 2nd to last paragraph on the page linked to. (no page numbers shown on the online document)
↑ Iranica Online Website: Artsruni
↑ ^a ^b Armenian History Website: Kingdom of Vaspurakan
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↑ "The Turks in History", Roderic H. Davison, Essays in Ottoman and Turkish History, 1774–1923: The Impact of the West, (University of Texas Press, 1990), 3.
↑ Template:Hovannisian: Armenian Van-Vaspurakan
↑ Hewsen 2000, p. 39.
↑ Values as printed in the official statistics from 1914.
↑ Justin McCarthy: Muslims and Minorities. New York University Press, 1983, p. 110 f.
↑ Hewsen 2000, p. 35.
↑ Template:Hovannisian: Armenian Van-Vaspurakan
↑ Ter Minassian, ch.10, p. 180.
↑ Ter Minassian, ch.10, p. 181.
↑ Sarkis Y. Karayan: "Demography of Van Province, 1844–1914". In: Richard G. Hovannisian: Armenian Van/Vaspurakan. Mazda Publishers, Costa Mesa/CA 2000, p. 196.
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↑ Ussher, Clarence Douglass. An American Physician in Turkey. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1917, p. 236.
↑ Template:Hovannisian: Armenian Van-Vaspurakan
↑ Akçam, p. 202.
↑ Akçam, p. 200.
↑ ^a ^b The Banality of Indifference: Zionism and the Armenian Genocide – Page 42 by Yaïr Auron
↑ Akçam, p. 140.
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Bibliography

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External links

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[1] Haldon, John. Byzantium at War AD 600 - 1453. p. 46. ISBN 1-84176-360-8.

[2] Holt, Peter Malcolm; Lambton, Ann Katharine Swynford & Lewis, Bernard (1977). The Cambridge History of Islam. pp. 231–232.

[3] Barber, Malcolm. The Crusader States Yale University Press. 2012. ISBN 978-0-300-11312-9. Page 9

[4] Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".

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[6] Edmund Herzig, Marina Kurkchiyan, The Armenians: Past And Present In The Making Of National Identity, p. 31.

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[9] The Journal of Roman Studies – Page 124 by Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies

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[11] The Met Museum Website: The Sasanian Empire (224–651 CE)

[12] The Cambridge Medieval History Series volumes 1–5 by Plantagenet Publishing, 2nd to last paragraph on the page linked to. (no page numbers shown on the online document)

[13] Iranica Online Website: Artsruni

[Armenian-History-14] Armenian History Website: Kingdom of Vaspurakan

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[16] "The Turks in History", Roderic H. Davison, Essays in Ottoman and Turkish History, 1774–1923: The Impact of the West, (University of Texas Press, 1990), 3.

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[18] Hewsen 2000, p. 39.

[:0-19] Values as printed in the official statistics from 1914.

[20] Justin McCarthy: Muslims and Minorities. New York University Press, 1983, p. 110 f.

[21] Hewsen 2000, p. 35.

[22] Template:Hovannisian: Armenian Van-Vaspurakan

[23] Ter Minassian, ch.10, p. 180.

[:1-24] Ter Minassian, ch.10, p. 181.

[25] Sarkis Y. Karayan: "Demography of Van Province, 1844–1914". In: Richard G. Hovannisian: Armenian Van/Vaspurakan. Mazda Publishers, Costa Mesa/CA 2000, p. 196.

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[Akçam,_201-29] Akçam, p. 201.

[30] Morgenthau, Henry. Ambassador Morgenthau's Story, p. 205. Wayne State University Press, 2003. Template:ISBN

[31] Ussher, Clarence Douglass. An American Physician in Turkey. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1917, p. 236.

[32] Template:Hovannisian: Armenian Van-Vaspurakan

[33] Akçam, p. 202.

[34] Akçam, p. 200.

[gens-35] The Banality of Indifference: Zionism and the Armenian Genocide – Page 42 by Yaïr Auron

[36] Akçam, p. 140.

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[39] Akçam, Taner. "A shameful Act." Translated by Paul Bessemer. Metropolitan Books, New York. 2006.

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[47] see article on Van Province, particularly section on component districts.

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@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 {{About|a city in Turkey|other uses of Van|Van (disambiguation)}}
 {{Infobox settlement
-| name               = Van
+| name = Van
-| settlement_type    = City
+| settlement_type = City
-| image_skyline      = {{Photomontage|position=center
+| image_skyline = {{Photomontage|position=center
 | photo1a = Van Fortress From Northwest.JPG
 | photo2a = Hoşap 24 05 2010 Burg.jpg
@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
     | foot_montage = '''Clockwise from top''': [[Van Fortress]]; [[Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Aghtamar]]; [[Tuşba|Tushba]]; [[Muradiye|Muradiye Waterfalls]]; İskele Street; [[Lake Van|Van Lake]]; and [[Hoşap Castle]]
 }}
-| imagesize          = 310px
+| imagesize = 310px
 | image_blank_emblem = Van Büyükşehir Belediyesi logo.svg
-| blank_emblem_type  = Emblem of Van Municipality
+| blank_emblem_type = Emblem of Van Municipality
-| pushpin_map        = Turkey
+| pushpin_map = Turkey
-| pushpin_mapsize    = 280px
+| pushpin_mapsize = 280px
-| pushpin_relief     = 1
+| pushpin_relief = 1
-| coordinates        = {{coord|38|29|39|N|43|22|48|E|display=inline,title}}
+| coordinates = {{coord|38|29|39|N|43|22|48|E|display=inline,title}}
-| subdivision_type   = Country
+| subdivision_type = Country
-| subdivision_name   = [[Turkey]]
+| subdivision_name = [[Turkey]]
-| subdivision_type1  = [[Regions of Turkey|Region]]
+| subdivision_type1 = [[Regions of Turkey|Region]]
-| subdivision_name1  = [[Eastern Anatolia Region|Eastern Anatolia]]
+| subdivision_name1 = [[Eastern Anatolia Region|Eastern Anatolia]]
-| subdivision_type2  = [[Provinces of Turkey|Province]]
+| subdivision_type2 = [[Provinces of Turkey|Province]]
-| subdivision_name2  = [[Van Province|Van]]
+| subdivision_name2 = [[Van Province|Van]]
-| leader_party       = State Appointment
+| leader_party = State Appointment
-| leader_title       = [[Mayor]]
+| leader_title = [[Mayor]]
-| leader_name        = {{ill|Ozan Balcı|tr}}
+| leader_name = {{ill|Ozan Balcı|tr}}
-| leader_title1      = [[Vali (governor)#Turkish term|Governor]]
+| leader_title1 = [[Vali (governor)#Turkish term|Governor]]
-| elevation_m        = 1726
+| elevation_m = 1726
 | population_footnotes = <ref name=citypop>{{cite web|url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/turkey/van/_/1978__van/|title=Van|website=citypopulation.de|access-date=10 January 2024}}</ref>
-| population_total   = 1 118 087 (province)
+| population_as_of = 2025
-| population_as_of   = end 2024
+| population_urban = 530 574
-| population_blank1_title = City
-| population_blank1  = 522 862
 | population_density_blank1_km2 = auto
+| timezone           = [[Time in Turkey|TRT]]
+| utc_offset         = +3
+| website            = {{URL|https://www.van.bel.tr}}
 }}
 [[File:City of Van (view from Van Kalesi).jpg|thumb|City of Van (view from Van Kalesi)]]
 [[File:F124I30.OldCityOfVanRuins.cn.jpg|thumb|Ruins of ancient Van]]
-'''Van''' ({{langx|hy|Վան}}; {{langx|ku-Latn|Wan}};<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/lawmaker-proposes-changing-name-of-eastern-van-province-to-wan-57128|title=Lawmaker proposes changing name of eastern Van province to 'Wan' - Turkey News|website=Hürriyet Daily News|date=31 October 2013 |language=en|access-date=2019-12-17}}</ref> {{langx|syr|ܘܢ}}) is a city in eastern Turkey's [[Van Province]], on the eastern shore of [[Lake Van]]. It is the capital and largest city of Van Province.
+'''Van'''{{efn|{{langx|hy|Վան}}; {{langx|ku-Latn|Wan}};<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/lawmaker-proposes-changing-name-of-eastern-van-province-to-wan-57128|title=Lawmaker proposes changing name of eastern Van province to 'Wan' - Turkey News|website=Hürriyet Daily News|date=31 October 2013 |language=en|access-date=2019-12-17}}</ref> {{langx|syr|ܘܢ}}}} is a city in eastern Turkey's [[Van Province]], on the eastern shore of [[Lake Van]]. It is the capital and largest city of Van Province.
 Van has a long history as a major urban area. It has been a large city since the first millennium [[Common Era|BCE]], initially as [[Tushpa]], the capital of the kingdom of [[Urartu]] from the 9th century BCE to the 6th century BCE, and later as the center of the Armenian kingdom of [[Kingdom of Vaspurakan|Vaspurakan]]. Turkic presence in Van and in the rest of [[Anatolia]] started as a result of [[Seljuk Empire|Seljuk]] victory at the [[Battle of Malazgirt]] (1071) against the [[Byzantine Empire]].<ref>Haldon, John. Byzantium at War AD 600 - 1453. p. 46. ISBN 1-84176-360-8.</ref><ref>Holt, Peter Malcolm; Lambton, Ann Katharine Swynford & Lewis, Bernard (1977). The Cambridge History of Islam. pp. 231–232.</ref><ref>Barber, Malcolm. The Crusader States Yale University Press. 2012. ISBN 978-0-300-11312-9. Page 9</ref>
@@ Line 60: / Line 61: @@
 ===Kingdom of Armenia===
-The region came under the control of the [[Orontid dynasty|Orontids]] in the 7th century BCE and quickly later the [[Achaemenid Empire|Persians]] in the mid 6th century BCE. [[Van Fortress]], located outside Van city center, holds an inscribed stereotyped trilingual inscription of [[Xerxes the Great]] from the 5th century BCE upon a smoothed section of the rock face, some {{convert|20|m|ft|abbr=off}} above the ground near the fortress. The inscription survives in near perfect condition and is divided into three columns of 27 lines written in (from left to right) [[Old Persian]], [[Akkadian language|Babylonian]], and [[Elamite]]. In 331 BCE, Van was conquered by [[Alexander the Great]] and after his death became part of the [[Seleucid Empire]]. By the early 2nd century BCE it was part of the [[Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)|Kingdom of Armenia]]. It became an important center during the reign of the [[Armenia]]n king, [[Tigranes II of Armenia|Tigranes II]], who founded the city of [[Tigranocerta|Tigranakert]] in the 1st century BCE.<ref>The Journal of Roman Studies – Page 124 by Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies</ref> In the early centuries BCE, it fell to the emerging [[Arsacid dynasty of Parthia]] until the 3rd century CE. However, it also fell once to the [[Arsacid dynasty of Armenia]] in this timespan. In the ''[[History of Armenia (Movses Khorenatsi)|History of Armenia]]'' attributed to [[Movses Khorenatsi]], the city is called ''Tosp'', from Urartian ''Tushpa''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://rbedrosian.com/Classic/kvan1.htm|title=The Kingdom of van (Urartu) by A. H. Sayce (Cambridge Ancient History vol. III, part 1), pp. 169-186. Urartian History. Remote and Classical Antiquity}}</ref>
+The region came under the control of the [[Orontid dynasty|Orontids]] in the 7th century BCE and quickly later the [[Achaemenid Empire|Persians]] in the mid-6th century BCE. [[Van Fortress]], located outside Van city center, holds an inscribed stereotyped trilingual inscription of [[Xerxes the Great]] from the 5th century BCE upon a smoothed section of the rock face, some {{convert|20|m|ft|abbr=off}} above the ground near the fortress. The inscription survives in near perfect condition and is divided into three columns of 27 lines written in (from left to right) [[Old Persian]], [[Akkadian language|Babylonian]], and [[Elamite]]. In 331 BCE, Van was conquered by [[Alexander the Great]] and after his death became part of the [[Seleucid Empire]]. By the early 2nd century BCE it was part of the [[Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)|Kingdom of Armenia]]. It became an important center during the reign of the [[Armenia]]n king, [[Tigranes II of Armenia|Tigranes II]], who founded the city of [[Tigranocerta|Tigranakert]] in the 1st century BCE.<ref>The Journal of Roman Studies – Page 124 by Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies</ref> In the early centuries BCE, it fell to the emerging [[Arsacid dynasty of Parthia]] until the 3rd century CE. However, it also fell once to the [[Arsacid dynasty of Armenia]] in this timespan. In the ''[[History of Armenia (Movses Khorenatsi)|History of Armenia]]'' attributed to [[Movses Khorenatsi]], the city is called ''Tosp'', from Urartian ''Tushpa''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://rbedrosian.com/Classic/kvan1.htm|title=The Kingdom of van (Urartu) by A. H. Sayce (Cambridge Ancient History vol. III, part 1), pp. 169-186. Urartian History. Remote and Classical Antiquity}}</ref>
 ===Byzantines, Sassanids, and the Artsrunis===
 {{Main|Vaspurakan}}
 {{Quote box
 | width = 18em
@@ Line 82: / Line 84: @@
 [[Mongol Empire]] 1240s–1330s<br />
 [[File:Safavid Flag.svg|20px|border]] [[Safavid Empire]] 1502–1515, 1520–1548, 1604–1639<br />
-[[File:Flag of Ottoman Empire (1517-1793).svg|20px|border]] [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]] 1515–1520, 1548–1604, 1639–1916<br />
+[[File:Flag of Ottoman Empire (1517-1793).svg|20px|border]] [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]] 1515–1520, 1548–1604, 1639–1915<br />
 [[File:Flag of Armenia (1918–1922).svg|20px|border]] [[First Republic of Armenia|Republic of Armenia]] 1918–1920<br />
 [[File:Flag of Turkey.svg|20px|border]] [[Eastern Anatolia Region|Turkey]] 1922–Present
 }}
-Following the fall of the Parthians and the emergence of the Neo-Persian Empire, better known as the [[Sassanian Empire]],<ref>[http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/sass/hd_sass.htm The Met Museum Website: The Sasanian Empire (224–651 CE)]</ref> the town fell into the possession of the latter. During the over 700 years-long [[Roman-Persian Wars]], some of the wars were waged at and around the location of modern-day Van. The [[Byzantine Empire]] briefly held the region from 628 to 640, following the victory in the climactic [[Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628]], after which it was invaded by the Muslim Arabs, who consolidated their conquests as the province of [[Arminiya]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=9lHeh36S8ooC&dq=arabs+consolidated+arminiya&pg=PT1462 The Cambridge Medieval History Series volumes 1–5 by Plantagenet Publishing, 2nd to last paragraph on the page linked to. (no page numbers shown on the online document)]</ref> Decline in Arab power eventually allowed local [[Armenians|Armenian]] rulers to re-emerge, with the [[Artsruni]] dynasty soon becoming the most powerful.<ref>[http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/artsruni-one-of-the-most-important-princely-families-of-armenia-an-offshoot-of-the-orontids-achaemenian-satraps-and-subsequ Iranica Online Website: Artsruni]</ref> Initially dependent on the rulers of the Kingdom of [[Ani]], they declared their independence in 908, founding the Armenian [[Kingdom of Vaspurakan]].<ref name="Armenian-History">[http://www.armenian-history.com/history/middle-ages/kingdom-of-vaspurakan Armenian History Website: Kingdom of Vaspurakan]</ref> The kingdom had no specific capital: the court would move as the king transferred his residence from place to place, such as Van city, Vostan, [[Aghtamar]], etc.<ref name="Armenian-History" /> In 1021 the last king of Vaspurakan, [[Senekerim-Hovhannes Artsruni|John-Senekerim Artsruni]], ceded his entire kingdom to the Byzantine empire, who established the Vaspurakan [[Theme (Byzantine administrative unit)|theme]] on the former Artsruni territories. Van was called Eua or Eva ({{langx|grc|Εύα}}) during Byzantine rule.<ref>{{Citation|last=Moulet|first=Benjamin|title=Chapitre I. Hiérarchie ecclésiastique et maillage du territoire|date=2016-12-15|url=http://books.openedition.org/psorbonne/1959|work=Évêques, pouvoir et société à Byzance (viiie-xie siècle) : Territoires, communautés et individus dans la société provinciale byzantine|pages=39–126|series=Byzantina Sorbonensia|place=Paris|publisher=Éditions de la Sorbonne|language=fr|isbn=978-2-85944-831-8|access-date=2021-07-11}}</ref>
+Following the fall of the Parthians and the emergence of the Neo-Persian Empire, better known as the [[Sassanian Empire|Sasanian Empire]],<ref>[http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/sass/hd_sass.htm The Met Museum Website: The Sasanian Empire (224–651 CE)]</ref> the town fell into the possession of the latter. During the over 700 years-long [[Roman-Persian Wars]], some of the wars were waged at and around the location of modern-day Van. The [[Byzantine Empire]] briefly held the region from 628 to 640, following the victory in the climactic [[Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628]], after which it was invaded by the Muslim Arabs, who consolidated their conquests as the province of [[Arminiya]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=9lHeh36S8ooC&dq=arabs+consolidated+arminiya&pg=PT1462 The Cambridge Medieval History Series volumes 1–5 by Plantagenet Publishing, 2nd to last paragraph on the page linked to. (no page numbers shown on the online document)]</ref> Decline in Arab power eventually allowed local [[Armenians|Armenian]] rulers to re-emerge, with the [[Artsruni]] dynasty soon becoming the most powerful.<ref>[http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/artsruni-one-of-the-most-important-princely-families-of-armenia-an-offshoot-of-the-orontids-achaemenian-satraps-and-subsequ Iranica Online Website: Artsruni]</ref> Initially dependent on the rulers of the Kingdom of [[Ani]], they declared their independence in 908, founding the Armenian [[Kingdom of Vaspurakan]].<ref name="Armenian-History">[http://www.armenian-history.com/history/middle-ages/kingdom-of-vaspurakan Armenian History Website: Kingdom of Vaspurakan]</ref> The kingdom had no specific capital: the court would move as the king transferred his residence from place to place, such as Van city, Vostan, [[Aghtamar]], etc.<ref name="Armenian-History" /> In 1021 the last king of Vaspurakan, [[Senekerim-Hovhannes Artsruni|John-Senekerim Artsruni]], ceded his entire kingdom to the Byzantine Empire, which established the Vaspurakan [[Theme (Byzantine administrative unit)|theme]] on the former Artsruni territories. Van was called Eua or Eva ({{langx|grc|Εύα}}) during Byzantine rule.<ref>{{Citation|last=Moulet|first=Benjamin|chapter=Chapitre I. Hiérarchie ecclésiastique et maillage du territoire|date=2016-12-15|chapter-url=http://books.openedition.org/psorbonne/1959|title=Évêques, pouvoir et société à Byzance (viiie-xie siècle) : Territoires, communautés et individus dans la société provinciale byzantine|pages=39–126|series=Byzantina Sorbonensia|place=Paris|publisher=Éditions de la Sorbonne|language=fr|isbn=978-2-85944-831-8|access-date=2021-07-11}}</ref>
 ===Seljuk Empire and Rum===
-Incursions by the [[Seljuk Turks]] into Vaspurakan started in the 1050s. After their victory in 1071 at the [[battle of Manzikert]] the entire region fell under their control.<ref>"The Turks in History", Roderic H. Davison, ''Essays in Ottoman and Turkish History, 1774–1923: The Impact of the West'', (University of Texas Press, 1990), 3.</ref> After them, local Muslim rulers emerged, such as the [[Ahlatshahs]] and the [[Kurds|Kurdish]] [[Ayyubids]] (1207). For a 20-year period, Van was held by the [[Sultanate of Rûm|Anatolian Seljuk Sultanate]] until the 1240s when it was conquered by the [[Mongols]]. In the 14th century, Van was held by the [[Timurids]], followed subsequently by the Turkoman [[Kara Koyunlu]] and [[Ak Koyunlu]] confederations.
+Incursions by the [[Seljuk Turks]] into Vaspurakan started in the 1050s. After their victory in 1071 at the [[battle of Manzikert]], the entire region fell under their control.<ref>"The Turks in History", Roderic H. Davison, ''Essays in Ottoman and Turkish History, 1774–1923: The Impact of the West'', (University of Texas Press, 1990), 3.</ref> After them, local Muslim rulers emerged, such as the [[Ahlatshahs]] and the [[Kurds|Kurdish]] [[Ayyubids]] (1207). For a 20-year period, Van was held by the [[Sultanate of Rûm|Anatolian Seljuk Sultanate]] until the 1240s when it was conquered by the [[Mongols]]. In the 14th century, Van was held by the [[Timurids]], followed by the Turkoman [[Kara Koyunlu]] and [[Ak Koyunlu]] confederations.
 ===Turco-Iranian rivalry and the Ottoman era===
@@ Line 96: / Line 98: @@
 [[File:Van,_Van_Merkez-Van,_Turkey_-_panoramio_(9).jpg|thumb|left|A replica of a 19th-century house]]
-The first half of the 15th century saw the Van region become a land of conflict as it was disputed by the [[Ottoman Empire]] and the neighboring [[Persians|Persian]] [[Safavid|Safavid Empire]]. The Safavids captured Van in 1502, as it went naturally with all former territories of the Ak Koyunlu. The Ottomans took the city in 1515 following the climactic [[Battle of Chaldiran]] and held it for a short period. The Safavids retook it again in 1520 but the Ottomans gained an almost definite hold of it in 1548 during another Ottoman-Safavid War. Ottoman control over the town was confirmed in the 1555 [[Peace of Amasya]] which came as a result after the end of the war. They first made Van into a [[sanjak]] dependent on the [[Erzurum eyalet]], and later into a separate [[Van eyalet]] in about 1570. In 1604, the Safavids under king [[Abbas the Great]] recaptured Van alongside other swaths of lost territories in Eastern Anatolia. However, Ottoman control over it was at last now made final and definite in 1639 with the [[Treaty of Zuhab]].
+The first half of the 15th century saw the Van region become a land of conflict as it was disputed by the [[Ottoman Empire]] and the neighboring [[Persians|Persian]] [[Safavid|Safavid Empire]]. The Safavids captured Van in 1502, as it went naturally with all former territories of the Ak Koyunlu. The Ottomans took the city in 1515 following the climactic [[Battle of Chaldiran]] and held it for a short period. The Safavids retook it in 1520 but the Ottomans gained an almost definite hold of it in 1548 during another Ottoman-Safavid war. Ottoman control over the town was confirmed in the 1555 [[Peace of Amasya]] which came as a result after the end of the war. They first made Van into a [[sanjak]] dependent on the [[Erzurum eyalet]], and later into a separate [[Van eyalet]] in about 1570. In 1604, the Safavids under king [[Abbas the Great]] recaptured Van alongside other swaths of lost territories in Eastern Anatolia. However, Ottoman control over it was at last now made final and definite in 1639 with the [[Treaty of Zuhab]].
 [[File:Wan_Tournefort.png|thumb|Van from [[Joseph Pitton de Tournefort]]'s 1717 book ''Relation d'un voyage du Levant'']]
 [[File:The Rock and Walled City of Van (1893).jpg|thumb|The rock and walled city of Van in 1893 by [[H. F. B. Lynch]]]]
-During the early 1900s, the city of Van had eleven Armenian schools and ten Turkish schools.<ref name="Hewsen-2000">{{Armenian Van-Vaspurakan 2000|first=Robert H.|last=Hewsen|author-link=Robert H. Hewsen|page=40|title=2: 'Van in This World: Paradise in the Next' – The Historical Geography of Van/Vaspurakan <br> Armenian churches within the walled city included Saint Tiramayr ({{langx|hy|Սուրբ Տիրամայր}}), Saint Vardan ({{langx|hy|Սուրբ Վարդան}}), Saint Poghos ({{langx|hy|Սուրբ Պողոս}}), Saint Nshan ({{langx|hy|Սուրբ Նշան}}), Saint Sahak ({{langx|hy|Սուրբ Սահակ}}), and Saint Tsiranavor ({{langx|hy|Սուրբ Ծիրանաւոր}}); in Aygestan ({{langx|hy|Այգեստան}}), Haykavank ({{langx|hy|Հայկավանք}}), Norashen ({{langx|hy|Նորաշէն}}), Arark ({{langx|hy|Արարք}}), Hankoysner, and other quarters each had a church.}}</ref> Towards the second half of the 19th century Van began to play an increased role in the politics of the Ottoman Empire due to its location near the borders of the Persian, Russian and Ottoman Empire, as well as its proximity to Mosul. During the period leading up to the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, Armenians were well represented in the local administration.<ref>Hewsen 2000, p. 39.</ref>
+During the early 1900s, the city of Van had eleven Armenian schools and ten Turkish schools.<ref name="Hewsen-2000">{{Hovannisian: Armenian Van-Vaspurakan|first=Robert H.|last=Hewsen|author-link=Robert H. Hewsen|page=40|chapter=2: Van in This World: Paradise in the Next}}</ref> Towards the second half of the 19th century Van began to play an increased role in the politics of the Ottoman Empire due to its location near the borders of the Persian, Russian and Ottoman Empire, as well as its proximity to Mosul. During the period leading up to the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, Armenians were well represented in the local administration.<ref>Hewsen 2000, p. 39.</ref>
 ====Ottoman Era demographics====
 The demographics of Ottoman Van are a debated and contentious point as they relate directly to claims of ownership by either side prior to the outbreak of World War I. For the city of Van itself it has been estimated that it had around 50,000 inhabitants prior to World War I, of whom 30,000 were Armenian and 20,000 were Muslims. Based on the official 1914 Ottoman census, the population of Van province consisted of 179,422 Muslims and 67,797 [[Armenians]].<ref name=":0">Values as printed in the [[:File:Proportions des populations en Asie Mineure statistique officielle d1914.png|official statistics from 1914]].</ref> The Ottoman census figures include only male citizens, excluding women and children, and according to more recent research, an estimate for Van province (including women and children) is that it had 313,000 Muslims, 130,000 Armenians, and 65,000 others, including [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]].<ref>Justin McCarthy: ''Muslims and Minorities.'' New York University Press, 1983, p. 110 f.</ref>
-The demographics of Van are a greatly debated point also given the changing provincial borders. For example, in 1875 the province was divided; Van and Hakkari were separated, only to be rejoined in 1888, drastically changing the census numbers. Some writers argue that this merging was done to keep the Armenians from forming a majority.<ref>Hewsen 2000, p. 35.</ref> In 1862 it was estimated that in Van there were 90,100 Christians (including [[Syriac Christianity|Syriac Christians]]) and 95,100 Muslims.<ref>{{Armenian Van-Vaspurakan 2000 |last=Ter Minassian |first=Anahide |author-link=Anahide Ter Minassian |title=10: The City of Van at the Turn of the Twentieth Century |p=179}}</ref> The French Consul in Van reported that in Van and Bitlis 51.46% were [[Kurds]], 32.70% were [[Armenians]] and 5.53% were Turks.<ref>Ter Minassian, ch.10, p. 180.</ref> On the other hand, the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople estimated 185,000 [[Armenians]] in Van, 18,000 [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]], 72,000 [[Kurds]], 47,000 [[Turkish people|Turks]], 25,000 [[Yezidis]], 5,000 [[Zazas]] and 3,000 [[Gypsies]].<ref name=":1">Ter Minassian, ch.10, p. 181.</ref> Both sides have been accused of over-counting the numbers at the time given the [[Armenian genocide]] and population statistics became important during the [[Berlin Conference]].<ref>Sarkis Y. Karayan: "Demography of Van Province, 1844–1914". In: [[Richard G. Hovannisian]]: ''Armenian Van/Vaspurakan''. Mazda Publishers, Costa Mesa/CA 2000, p. 196.</ref>
+The demographics of Van are a greatly debated point also given the changing provincial borders. For example, in 1875 the province was divided; Van and Hakkari were separated, only to be rejoined in 1888, drastically changing the census numbers. Some writers argue that this merging was done to keep the Armenians from forming a majority.<ref>Hewsen 2000, p. 35.</ref> In 1862 it was estimated that in Van there were 90,100 Christians (including [[Syriac Christianity|Syriac Christians]]) and 95,100 Muslims.<ref>{{Hovannisian: Armenian Van-Vaspurakan|last=Ter Minassian |first=Anahide |author-link=Anahide Ter Minassian |chapter=10: The City of Van at the Turn of the Twentieth Century |p=179}}</ref> The French Consul in Van reported that in Van and Bitlis 51.46% were [[Kurds]], 32.70% were [[Armenians]] and 5.53% were Turks.<ref>Ter Minassian, ch.10, p. 180.</ref> On the other hand, the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople estimated 185,000 [[Armenians]] in Van, 18,000 [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]], 72,000 [[Kurds]], 47,000 [[Turkish people|Turks]], 25,000 [[Yezidis]], 5,000 [[Zazas]] and 3,000 [[Gypsies]].<ref name=":1">Ter Minassian, ch.10, p. 181.</ref> Both sides have been accused of over-counting the numbers at the time given the [[Armenian genocide]] and population statistics became important during the [[Berlin Conference]].<ref>Sarkis Y. Karayan: "Demography of Van Province, 1844–1914". In: [[Richard G. Hovannisian]]: ''Armenian Van/Vaspurakan''. Mazda Publishers, Costa Mesa/CA 2000, p. 196.</ref>
 ===The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878===
@@ Line 112: / Line 114: @@
 ===World War I and Armenian genocide===
 {{Main|Defense of Van (1915)}}
 [[File:Old City Van 2009.JPG|thumb|left|220px|Ruins of the old walled city of Van seen from the castle rock]]
-The [[Armenian genocide]] in Van Province started in late 1914 with attacks by the Ottoman Empire's [[Special Organization (Ottoman Empire)|Special Organization]] and affiliated paramilitaries.<ref name=":2">{{cite book |last1=Akçam |first1=Taner |title=A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish Responsibility |date=2006 |publisher=Metropolitan Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-8050-7932-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/shamefulactarmen00ak |page=140}}</ref> The regional Albanian administrator, [[Djevdet Bey]], was reported to have said that "We have cleansed the [[Armenians]] and [[Assyrian people|Syriac Christians]] from [[Azarbaijan]], and we will do the same in Van".<ref name="Akçam, 201">Akçam, p. 201.</ref> Numerous reports from Ottoman officials, such as a parliament deputy, the governor of [[Aleppo]] as well as the German consul in Van, suggested that deliberate provocations against the Armenians were being orchestrated by the local government.<ref name="Akçam, 201" /> In mid-April 1915, Cevdet Bey ordered the execution of four Armenian leaders,<ref>Morgenthau, Henry. ''Ambassador Morgenthau's Story'', p. 205. Wayne State University Press, 2003. {{ISBN|0-8143-2979-9}}</ref><ref>Ussher, Clarence Douglass. ''An American Physician in Turkey''. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1917, p. 236.</ref> and he demanded that all Armenian males of military age gather before him, which drove the Armenians to take up arms in self-defense.<ref>{{Armenian Van-Vaspurakan 2000 |last=Ter Minassian |first=Anahide |author-link=Anahide Ter Minassian |title=12: Van 1915 |pp=225–226}}</ref> On the other hand, historian and sociologist [[Taner Akçam]] acknowledges that in the case of Van, the deportations may have been driven by military necessity<ref>Akçam, p. 202.</ref> and states the resistance in Van should be examined as a separate case, although this is very similar to official turkish positions denying the Armenian Genocide.<ref>Akçam, p. 200.</ref>
+The [[Armenian genocide]] in Van Province started in late 1914 with attacks by the Ottoman Empire's [[Special Organization (Ottoman Empire)|Special Organization]] and affiliated paramilitaries.<ref name=":2">{{cite book |last1=Akçam |first1=Taner |title=A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish Responsibility |date=2006 |publisher=Metropolitan Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-8050-7932-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/shamefulactarmen00ak |page=140}}</ref> The regional Albanian administrator, [[Djevdet Bey]], was reported to have said that "We have cleansed the [[Armenians]] and [[Assyrian people|Syriac Christians]] from [[Azarbaijan]], and we will do the same in Van".<ref name="Akçam, 201">Akçam, p. 201.</ref> Numerous reports from Ottoman officials, such as a parliament deputy, the governor of [[Aleppo]] as well as the German consul in Van, suggested that deliberate provocations against the Armenians were being orchestrated by the local government.<ref name="Akçam, 201" /> In mid-April 1915, Cevdet Bey ordered the execution of four Armenian leaders,<ref>Morgenthau, Henry. ''Ambassador Morgenthau's Story'', p. 205. Wayne State University Press, 2003. {{ISBN|0-8143-2979-9}}</ref><ref>Ussher, Clarence Douglass. ''An American Physician in Turkey''. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1917, p. 236.</ref> and he demanded that all Armenian males of military age gather before him, which drove the Armenians to take up arms in self-defense.<ref>{{Hovannisian: Armenian Van-Vaspurakan|last=Ter Minassian |first=Anahide |author-link=Anahide Ter Minassian |chapter=12: Van 1915 |pp=225–226}}</ref> On the other hand, historian and sociologist [[Taner Akçam]] acknowledges that in the case of Van, the deportations may have been driven by military necessity<ref>Akçam, p. 202.</ref> and states the resistance in Van should be examined as a separate case, although this is very similar to official turkish positions denying the Armenian Genocide.<ref>Akçam, p. 200.</ref>
 [[File:ATD of the regions of Turkey occupied by Russian troops during WW1.png|thumb|Van region in the administrative-territorial division of the regions of Turkey occupied by Russian troops during World War I 1916–1917]]
@@ Line 135: / Line 138: @@
 == Demographics ==
-At the end of 2024 the population figure for the city of Van was 522 885 (Ipekyolu, Tusba),<ref name=citypop/> but former Mayor Burhan Yengun is quoted as saying it may be as high as 600,000.<ref>TESEV. "An Assessment of the Van Action Plan for the Internally Displaced" Accessed at http://www.tesev.org.tr/UD_OBJS/PDF/DEMP/TESEV_VanActionPlanReport.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101011054228/http://www.tesev.org.tr/UD_OBJS/PDF/DEMP/TESEV_VanActionPlanReport.pdf|date=2010-10-11}}</ref> The former Van Central (''Merkez'') District stretched over 1,938.14&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, but has subsequently been split into two new districts ([[İpekyolu]] and [[Tuşba]]).<ref>see article on [[Van Province]], particularly section on component districts.</ref> Today, Van has a [[Kurdish people|Kurdish]] majority and [[Turkish people|Turkish]] minority.<ref name="Ozoglu">{{cite journal|last=Özoğlu|first=Hakan|date=May 1996|title=State–Tribe Relations: Kurdish Tribalism in the 16th-and 17th-Century Ottoman Empire|journal=British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies|publisher=Taylor & Francis|volume=23|issue=1|pages=5–27|doi=10.1080/13530199608705620}}</ref>
+At the end of 2024 the population figure for the city of Van was 522,885 (Ipekyolu, Tusba),<ref name=citypop/> but former Mayor Burhan Yengun is quoted as saying it may be as high as 600,000.<ref>TESEV. "An Assessment of the Van Action Plan for the Internally Displaced" Accessed at http://www.tesev.org.tr/UD_OBJS/PDF/DEMP/TESEV_VanActionPlanReport.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101011054228/http://www.tesev.org.tr/UD_OBJS/PDF/DEMP/TESEV_VanActionPlanReport.pdf|date=2010-10-11}}</ref> The former Van Central (''Merkez'') District stretched over 1,938.14&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, but has subsequently been split into two new districts ([[İpekyolu]] and [[Tuşba]]).<ref>see article on [[Van Province]], particularly section on component districts.</ref> Today, Van has a [[Kurdish people|Kurdish]] majority and [[Turkish people|Turkish]] minority.<ref name="Ozoglu">{{cite journal|last=Özoğlu|first=Hakan|date=May 1996|title=State–Tribe Relations: Kurdish Tribalism in the 16th-and 17th-Century Ottoman Empire|journal=British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies|publisher=Taylor & Francis|volume=23|issue=1|pages=5–27|doi=10.1080/13530199608705620}}</ref> Scholars examining language use in the Van region have documented [[Kurmanji]] as the predominant spoken language among the city's Kurdish population.<ref name="Sherwani 2020 944–956">{{Cite journal |last=Sherwani |first=Ari |last2=Barlik |first2=Birsen |date=2020 |title=The present status of Kurdish language in Turkey; a sociolinguistic study of Van community |journal=Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology |volume=12 |issue=4 |pages=944–956 |issn=1006-7930}}</ref> Sociolinguistic surveys of Kurdish-majority provinces, including Van, have found high rates of daily Kurdish language use among the Kurdish population, alongside varying degrees of Turkish bilingualism.<ref name="Zeyneloğlu 2016 37–60">{{Cite journal |last=Zeyneloğlu |first=Sinan |last2=Sirkeci |first2=Ibrahim |last3=Civelek |first3=Yusuf |date=2016 |title=Kurdish identity, demographics and related issues |journal=Kurdish Studies |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=37–60}}</ref>
+=== Language ===
+[[Kurmanji]] ([[Northern Kurdish]]) is the principal language spoken by the Kurdish majority in Van. A sociolinguistic study of the Van community by Sherwani and Barlik (2020) documented Kurmanji as the predominant vernacular among the city's Kurdish residents, while Turkish functions as the language of public administration and formal education.<ref name="Sherwani 2020 944–956"/> Research on language demographics in Kurdish-majority southeastern Turkey has identified Van among the provinces with substantial Kurdish-speaking populations.<ref name="Zeyneloğlu 2016 37–60"/>
 == Geography ==
 The city of Van is located at the western foot of [[Mount Erek]].
 === Climate ===
 Van has a [[Humid continental climate|Mediterranean-influenced humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Dsa,'' [[Trewartha climate classification|Trewartha]]'': Dc'') with cold, snowy winters and very warm, dry summers. Precipitation can be observed for the majority of the year, with a slight peak during spring and autumn, and a brief dry summer from July to September.
@@ Line 310: / Line 317: @@
 ===Earthquakes===
-{{more|1941 Van–Erciş earthquake|2011 Van earthquake}}
+{{further|1941 Van–Erciş earthquake|2011 Van earthquake}}
 In 1941, Van suffered a destructive [[1941 Van–Erciş earthquake|5.9 M<sub>w</sub> earthquake]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Damcı|first1=Erdem|last2=Temur|first2=Rasim|last3=Bekdaş|first3=Gebrail|last4=Sayin|first4=Baris|date=2015-12-01|title=Damages and causes on the structures during the October 23, 2011 Van earthquake in Turkey|journal=Case Studies in Construction Materials|language=en|volume=3|pages=112–131|doi=10.1016/j.cscm.2015.10.001|issn=2214-5095|doi-access=free}}</ref> A more severe [[2011 Van earthquake|7.2 M<sub>w</sub> earthquake]] occurred on 23 October 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/23/world/europe/turkey-earthquake/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 | title = Report: Death toll rises to 217 after massive earthquake in Turkey | date = 2011-10-24 | access-date = 2011-10-24 | publisher=CNN}}</ref> On the 9 November 2011, another earthquake caused several buildings to collapse.<ref>{{Cite web|title=At least 5 dead in quake in eastern Turkey|url=https://www.cnn.com/2011/11/09/world/turkey-earthquake/index.html|access-date=2020-07-16|website=CNN|date=9 November 2011}}</ref>
@@ Line 321: / Line 328: @@
 Van stands on Highway D300, which runs from the Iranian border 100&nbsp;km east at Kapikoy through Van then along the south lake shore to [[Tatvan]] (100&nbsp;km), and westwards to the rest of Turkey. Highway D975 runs north to Dogubeyazit and south towards Hakkari. Frequent buses and dolmuses ply these highways.
-Van is the western terminus of [[Van-Sufian railway|the railway line from Iran]], with freight and passenger trains (suspended between 2015 and 2018). There is a [[train ferry]] (upgraded in 2015) across the lake to Tatvan. There is no railway around the lake; it is intended eventually to build one but to date there are no plans.{{cn|date=August 2023}} This would actually create an unbroken rail link between Europe and the Indian subcontinent, as Tatvan is the terminus of the line to Ankara and Istanbul.
+Van is the western terminus of [[Van-Sufian railway|the railway line from Iran]], with freight and passenger trains (suspended between 2015 and 2018). There is a [[train ferry]] (upgraded in 2015) across the lake to Tatvan. There is no railway around the lake; it is intended eventually to build one but to date there are no plans.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}} This would actually create an unbroken rail link between Europe and the Indian subcontinent, as Tatvan is the terminus of the line to Ankara and Istanbul.
 Van has daily flights to Istanbul, Ankara and other major Turkish cities from [[Van Ferit Melen Airport|Ferit Melen Airport]].
@@ Line 329: / Line 336: @@
 == Notable people ==
+{{See also|Category:People from Van, Turkey}}
 * [[Hanımzer Melet]] (born 1993), national team wheelchair basketball player.<ref name="fiba1"/>
 * [[Vardan Ajemian]] (born 1905), Van born, Armenian theatrical director and actor. He was named People's Artist of USSR in 1965 and Hero of Socialist Labour in 1975.
@@ Line 341: / Line 349: @@
 Van is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
 *{{flagicon|TUR}} [[Bursa]], Turkey<ref name="Bursa twinnings">{{cite web|url=http://www.bursa.bel.tr/kardes-sehirler/sayfa/261/|title=Kardeş Şehirler|access-date=2013-07-27|work=Bursa Büyükşehir Belediyesi Basın Koordinasyon Merkez|publisher=Tüm Hakları Saklıdır|archive-date=23 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160523225737/http://www.bursa.bel.tr/kardes-sehirler/sayfa/261/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
-*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Odesa]], [[Ukraine]]
+*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Odessa]], [[Ukraine]]
 *{{flagicon|DE}} [[Karlsruhe]], [[Germany]]
@@ Line 359: / Line 367: @@
 * [[İpekyolu]]
 * [[Van Museum]]
+==Notes==
+{{notelist}}
 ==References==
@@ Line 366: / Line 377: @@
 ==Bibliography==
-*{{Armenian Van-Vaspurakan 2000}}
+*{{Hovannisian: Armenian Van-Vaspurakan}}
 ==External links==

Van, Turkey: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 19:18, 3 July 2026

Contents

History

Urartu

Kingdom of Armenia

Byzantines, Sassanids, and the Artsrunis

Seljuk Empire and Rum

Turco-Iranian rivalry and the Ottoman era

Ottoman Era demographics

The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878

World War I and Armenian genocide

Turkish War of Independence and Republic

Tourism

Politics

Demographics

Language

Geography

Climate

Landmarks

Earthquakes

Cuisine

Transport

Media

Notable people

Van cat

Twin towns – Sister cities

Gallery

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

Navigation menu

Van, Turkey: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 19:18, 3 July 2026

History

Urartu

Kingdom of Armenia

Byzantines, Sassanids, and the Artsrunis

Seljuk Empire and Rum

Turco-Iranian rivalry and the Ottoman era

Ottoman Era demographics

The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878

World War I and Armenian genocide

Turkish War of Independence and Republic

Tourism

Politics

Demographics

Language

Geography

Climate

Landmarks

Earthquakes

Cuisine

Transport

Media

Notable people

Van cat

Twin towns – Sister cities

Gallery

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

Navigation menu

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