We have breakfast at the hotel, then we visit Ahlat, the first big Turkish city in Anatolia. It is a huge open space filled with the ruins of castles, mosques, bridges, Seljuk cemetery, baths, and zawiyas from past civilizations, especially the Seljuks, called the “Dome of Islam” by the Seljuks, the “City of Ancestors” by the Ottomans, and the “City of the Oghuz Taife” by Evliya Çelebi. In Ahlat, an air museum, we watch the blue of Lake Van on the one hand and photograph the summit of Süphan, Turkey's third largest mountain, on the other. We are visiting the cane shops where the world-famous Ahlat canes are made and we move to Tatvan. In Tatvan, we visit the El-Aman Caravanserai and Abdulcelil Behrani Tombs and give free time on the beach. Then we go to Akdamar Island. (Akdamar boat tour fee is extra.) After seeing the Holy Cross Church on the island, we approach the shore by boat. Afterward, we visit the Seljuk Cemetery, inlaid tombstones, and Halime (Celme) Hatun Tomb in the Gevaş district. Then we return to the center of Van and see the Urartian King Tombs and Urartian ruins, and visit the historical Van houses at the foot of the Van Castle and the Ulu Mosque and Hüsrev Pasha Mosques in the old city of Van. Afterward, we go to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Breakfast: at the Hotel
Lunch: Extra
Dinner: at the Hotel
Accommodation: VAN NİLL'S OTEL