Erciş Castle
The castle on the old settlement site; only two collapsed sections remain, standing in the waters of Lake Van.
View on map6 places to visit in the Erciş district of Van: Erciş Castle, Çelebibağı Tomb and Zernaki Şehir Kalıntısı. Plan your trip to Erciş with local food, practical tips and transport information.
Erciş is a district of Van province. It covers 2,133 km², stands at an altitude of 1,685 m and has a population of 169,040. Founded 5 km inland from Lake Van, at an elevation 25 metres above the lake, Erciş is 100 km from Van provincial centre.
Geography
Erciş, through which a famous trade route passed in the 13th century, gained particular importance as the gateway from the East to the West. The road from Iran to the Middle Eastern countries passes through here. The Erciş Plain is one of the largest plains on the shores of Lake Van. In 1841, when the waters of Lake Van fell and then rose again, the people of Erciş left their old settlement and moved to new places, and the place took the name Erciş.
History
The district’s name, which appears in history as Arzaşkun, Arsissa, Argişti Khinili, Arciş, Ardişi, Eganis and Erdiş, is thought to derive from Arsissa II, a king of Urartu, or from the cities of Arsissa or Arzaşkun said to have been founded on these lands. It became a district in 1910; it was occupied on 18 May 1915 with Russian and Armenian collaboration and liberated on 1 April 1918. Erciş also served as the capital of the Azeri Turkmen Karakoyunlu State, which ruled Eastern Anatolia, Iraq and Iran between 1365 and 1469.
Historical monuments
In the Çelebibağı neighbourhood of the district is a cemetery used from the Bronze Age to the present day, with various periods represented. Just north of the district lies the Zernaki city ruins, said to date from the Urartians.
Economy
Erciş is the most developed and orderly district of the Eastern Anatolia Region, along with Tatvan. One of the main sources of livelihood in the town is the Erciş Sugar Factory. Among the districts in the Lake Van basin, it ranks first in economic development among district municipalities.
History and Culture
Erciş served as the capital of the Karakoyunlu State between 1365 and 1469. It was occupied in 1915 and liberated in 1918.
Highlights
With the arrival of the Turks in Anatolia in 1071, the district became the first settlement in the Çelebibağı Town. Erciş was founded on the Erciş Plain, which has the Zilan Stream and the Deliçay rivers.
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