6 places to visit in the Gevaş district of Van: Akdamar Island Pier, Gevaş Seljuk Cemetery and Halime Hatun Tomb (Kümbet). Plan your trip to Gevaş with local food, practical tips and transport information.
Gevaş lies at the foot of Mount Artos, the highest peak of the Kavuşşahap Mountains, an extension of the Southeastern Taurus range. The district centre is 1,750 metres above sea level. Akdamar Island within its boundaries is the most important tourist site in the district.
History
The fertile valley where the district centre lies has been the scene of intensive settlement since the Urartian period. In old sources the town is named Vostan, Vastan and, from 1960 onwards, Vestan. The old settlement, about 20 km west of the current district centre and opposite Ahtamar Island, gained importance as the residence of the Iranian military governors who ruled Eastern Armenia, which came under Sasanian rule in AD 421. After the Sasanian State came under Islamic rule in the 7th century, the Armenian-origin Rshtuni principality ruled over Vostan. In 908, Gagik I Ardzruni was crowned king of Armenia in Vostan, but later moved his residence to a new town he built on Akdamar Island. The Ardzruni principality, which dominated the southern and eastern shores of Lake Van, survived until it was eliminated by Byzantium in 1021. The town became the capital of İzzeddin Şir, who established a strong principality in the region including Hakkari and Van in the 1380s. In 1386, İzzeddin Şir defended Van Castle against Timur, and he then maintained his principality as a vassal, first of Timur and then of the Karakoyunlu. The most important historical monument of the town, the Celme Hatun Tomb (or Halime Hatun Tomb), belongs to the wife of İzzeddin Şir, who was from the Karakoyunlu dynasty.
Seljuk Cemetery
After the Seljuk cemetery in Ahlat, the district has the second-largest Seljuk cemetery in the region.
History and Culture
Following the Seljuk cemetery in Ahlat, the second-largest Seljuk cemetery in the region is located in the district. Restoration work on the church on Akdamar Island began in 2005 as part of a project to protect cultural assets.
Notable Facts
Gevaş was occupied by Russian and Armenian forces in 1914 and was liberated on 31 March 1918. The games Gırgırani, Dokuzlu, Tekayak, Koçeri, Bablekan and Kelekvan are played by the people of Gevaş.
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