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Buildings beside calm body of water. Photo by Emre-

Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Akdamar Island

Akdamar Island (Turkish: Akdamar Adas, Kurdish: Girava Axtamarê), also known as Aghtamar (Armenian:, romanized: At’amar) or Akhtamar (Armenian:, romanized: Axt’amar), is the second largest of four islands in Lake Van, in eastern It is about 0.7 km2 in size and is located about 3 km from the shoreline.

A hard, grey limestone cliff rises 80 meters above the lake’s level at the western end of the island (1,912 m above sea level). The island drops to the east to a level area where a spring provides abundant water.

It is home to the Armenian Holy Cross Cathedral, which dates from the 10th century and served as the seat of the Armenian Apostolic Catholicosate of Aghtamar from 1116 to 1895.

1.Why is the island known as Akdamar in the 1st place?

A well-known folklore among the local population explains the island’s name, Akdamar: Every night, a gentleman who fell in love with a beautiful girl named Tamar visited the island to see her.

His boat sank while crossing the lake one stormy night, and he drowned while saying the words “Ach Tamar.”  Tamar, who was expecting the arrival of her loved one, died soon after hearing the news of his death. As a result, the island has been known as “Ach Tamar” (Akdamar) ever since.

2.A brief history of the island’s background

King Gagik I Artsruni (r. 908-943/944) of the Armenian Kingdom of Vaspurakan chose the island as one of his homes during his reign. He established a peace agreement and built a huge square palace lushly decorated with frescoes, a dock noted for its multifaceted hydrotechnical construction, streets, gardens, and orchards, and planted trees and custom made outdoor spaces for himself and his court.

The Palatine Cathedral of the Holy Cross (Armenian: Surb Khach yekeetsi) is the only surviving structure from that time period. It was constructed of pink volcanic tuff by architect-monk Manuel between 915 and 921, with an interior measuring 14.80m 11.5m and a dome reaching 20.40m above ground, it was part of a monastic complex, the ruins of which are still visible to the south of the church.

Between 1116 and 1895, the island was home to the Armenian Apostolic Church’s Catholicosate of Aghtamar. Khachatur III, the last Catholicos of Aght’amar, died in 1895. During the Armenian genocide in April 1915, the monks on Aght’amar were massacred, the cathedral was looted, and the monastic buildings were destroyed.

On the island, a small solar energy power plant was inaugurated on August 28, 2010, to supply electricity to local facilities.

3.What is Akdamar island best known for all across the world?

A man sat behind the buildings pillar. Photo by Emre-

The Armenian church on the island of Akdamar in Lake Van in Eastern Anatolia is well-known. Churches play an important role in medieval Christian art. All through the centuries, churches came to communicate the people’s feelings and resilience in periods of social disorder and political turmoil.

4.There is the main lake that surrounds the island known as…

The island is located near the shores of Lake Van (Turkey’s third largest lake) and is approximately 55 kilometres from Van. When the island’s trees bloom with fragrant flowers in the spring, it is a place of truly enchanting beauty.

Lake Van is a salt lake, which few people realize due to its elevation of 1670 meters above sea level.

5.When is the best time to visit Akdamar island?

The best months to visit are May and September. Winter, from mid-October to mid-April, it is too snowbound to enjoy adequately. The months of June, July, and August are ideal for climbing in the area.

6.Take a hike on the island of Akdamar if you love adventure

A street overlooking a body of water. Photo by Emre-

If you want to climb the two massive volcanoes that stand on the northern and western shores, Nemrut Da (not to be confused with the more famous mountain sanctuary of Antiochus further west, though they share the same name), come then.

These necessitate camping on the mountain, so at least three more nights are required.

The area offers nearly limitless opportunities for hill walking, with the goal of reaching a remote mountaintop Urartian citadel or a ruined Armenian monastery long abandoned in the wilderness.

Until the mid-1960s, this entire area was a restricted zone into which no one could enter unless they had special permission. The roads were incomprehensible back then, and even worse in the 1980s, but they are now very good, and getting around has been reformed.

7.What legacy was left behind by the Urartians for the community?

The lake’s tranquillity conceals its tragic history well. In the second millennium BC, the Hurrian ancestors of the Hittites ruled here for the first time.

The Urartians, who came from the south and southeast and settled around the great Zab Valley in the Hakkâri region, established the strongest empire and duration of consistency, ruling from 900BC to 500BC.

Their civilisation was only fully appreciated in the twentieth century, with the exploration of their hilltop citadels and palaces, as well as their beautiful gold artefacts.

8.This island is where the origin of cantaloupes came from and later to the rest of the world

The coastline was much more wooded and green a century ago, but man has left his mark, and only a few greenery stretches remain. Process control records from the Assyrian attack in the eighth century BC mention cutting down forests as dense as rushes.

‘Van in this world, Paradise in the next,’ says an old Armenian proverb, summarizing the area’s once-legendary productive performance. Nevertheless, in some villages, such as Adilcevaz, there are still superb fruit trees, particularly apricots. Van was also the birthplace of the cantaloupe melon.

The pope once had his own farm in Rome called Cantalupo, and he imported Van melons to grow on it. They spread across the globe from there and were known as cantaloupes.

9.Where is the exact location of the Holy Cross Church?

The Akdamar Church (the Holy Cross Church) is located on Akdamar Island in Lake Van, inside the borders of the GevaÅŸ District of the Province of Van. Lake Van is Turkey’s largest lake, located in the region of Eastern Anatolia.

The second largest of Lake Van’s four islands, Akdamar Island, is also known as Aghtamar, Akhtamar, and Ahtamar. It is approximately 700.000 m2 in size and is located approximately 3 km from the coastline.

10.Is the Akdamar Church still functioning and open for service?

View of the sunset by a body of water. Photo by Emre-

The Turkish government undertook a restoration plan to maintain the historical identity of the Akdamar Church in 2005-2006. The church was opened to the public as a monument museum in 2007. The government decided in 2010 to open the church for religious events once a year.