Van Fortress

Massive Urartian citadel on a rock above the lake, the largest of its kind anywhere

The Van Fortress (Van Kalesi) is a long, narrow citadel sitting on a sheer ridge of limestone west of the modern city. The Urartians began building it in the 9th century BC; the kingdom they ruled from here, Tushpa, was for two centuries the great rival of Assyria. After Urartu fell, the fortress was held in turn by Medes, Persians, Armenians, Romans, Arabs, Byzantines, Seljuks, Mongols, and Ottomans — each leaving traces.

The climb to the top takes about twenty minutes and ends with a view that explains why the place was so prized: the brilliant blue of Lake Van to the west, the snow-capped mountains beyond, and the foundations of Old Van (destroyed in 1915) spreading out below to the north. Go in late afternoon for the light, and bring water.

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Cut into the face of the rock are trilingual cuneiform inscriptions left by Xerxes the Great around 480 BC — the same king who invaded Greece. He had them carved while passing through, in Old Persian, Elamite, and Akkadian, simply to mark that he had been here.

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