Turkey Guide
Lake Van and the southeast
Akdamar Kilisesi
On an island just off Lake Van's southern shore stands the justly famous tenth-century Armenian Akdamar Kilisesi (open daily dawn– dusk), an incredible example of Armenian architecture, set amid stunning scenery.
The church was built as the cathedral of the royal court between 915 and 921 AD by Gagik Atzruni, ruler of the Armenian kingdom of Vaspurakan. The palace and monastery he also had built here have not survived, but the church is intact, a small four-apsed building some 15m by 12m, with a central cupola over 20m high, and an exterior profusely decorated with well-preserved reliefs depicting biblical scenes. Three reliefs on the south side describe the story of Jonah and the Whale, one of them showing Jonah being swallowed by a chimeric creature with ears and teeth. Also well represented are episodes demonstrating the rewards of faith: along the southern wall you'll find Abraham and Isaac, and David and Goliath. The most famous panel is on the north wall showing Adam and Eve (inexcusably vandalized) and next to it, a very butch Delilah is cutting off Samson's hair. The west wall is adorned by Gagik the builder-king presenting a model of the church to the clergy, and incorporates some fine khatchkars – the Celtic-looking, obsessively detailed carved crosses that the Armenians used both as celebratory or commemorative offerings and as grave markers. Mythical and real animals (at one point being named by Adam, elsewhere placed purely for whimsy, or to illustrate virtues or vices) and inscriptions in the hook-like Armenian alphabet also abound. You'll find more khatchkars beside the church, to the northeast, where a group of handsome specimens date from the thirteenth to seventeenth centuries.
Stretching all around the church exterior, starting from the west wall, is a breathtaking vine-leaf trellis that runs above the reliefs: in the first scene, a prelapsarian woman embraces a beast, while towards the end there's hunting and animals feeding on the vine itself. Unfortunately, the interior is more or less gutted, its faded murals daubed with graffiti. The famous golden bell and the illuminated Bible that feature in the reliefs have long since been whisked away to the Moscow museum.
Practicalities
Dolmuşes (3YTL) run from a yard in Van one minute's walk up Zübeyde Hanım Caddesi, near the junction of Sikke Caddesi, from 6am to 7pm in summer. Out of season (before May and after September) the dolmuş may only run as far as the town of Gevaş, 5km short. From the quay by the roadside, the boatmen charge 30YTL per boat for the round trip, or 2.5YTL per person if there are twelve or more passengers. There's a further charge of 2YTL for admission to the island. Near the quay stands Akdamar Camping Restaurant ( 
0432/216 1515), where you can camp free providing you eat at the (reasonable) restaurant.