Tatvan

Template: Infobox city in Turkey / Maintenance / County

Tatvan (Armenian Դատվան Datvan, kurd. Têtwan ) is situated on 1690 m altitude at Lake Van city and capital of the district in the Turkish province of Bitlis Tatvan. The city has 65 641 and 84 163 inhabitants of the district (as of 2013) and is mostly inhabited by Kurds.

The town itself consists of four districts named Karşıyaka ( Eski Tatvan ) Tuğ, Kireç Ocağı and Sorgun. In addition, 56 villages belong to the commune.

Geography

Tatvan located near the Nemrut, an extinct volcano, which can be seen on the northern horizon of the city.

History

Already at the Urartian times around the 9th century CE, V. was located on the territory of today's a fortress. Evliya Çelebi says in his travelogue Seyahatname 17th century by the ruined fortress TAHT ʾ i Van, which the people call the Kurds Tatvan. She was built by Zal Pasha and Safavid Shah Tahmasp destroyed by I. and at the time of Çelebis visit a state domain (HAS) of the Pasha of Van. There was a castle-like, powerful caravanserai, which was situated on a natural harbor in their place.

Traffic

Tatvan is located on the main road from Elazig to Van, which further leads to Iran. There are long-distance buses in many important cities of Turkey and Dolmuşs, a kind of shared taxi. In the villages of the area

With the completion of the last section of line between Mus and Tatvan the city was connected to the 1946 sections commissioned in railway Elazig Tatvan in October 1964. The city has two railway stations: Tatvan Gar operates the city center, the feed station Tatvan İskele forms the endpoint of the segment on Lake Van. From there, there is a train ferry that connects to the route from Van to Tehran. Three times a week runs a pair of trains between Karma Tatvan and Elazig. Weekly run train pairs of Vangölü Ekspresi between Istanbul Haydarpaşa and Tatvan, the Trans Asya Ekspresi between Istanbul Haydarpaşa and Tehran and the Tahran SaM Ekspresi between Tehran and Damascus.

Culture and sights

Tatvan home was built around 1537 spa.

The town is an ideal starting point for excursions to the island of Akdamar and to the crater of Nemrut volcano. Even the mountain Suphan Dagi is Tatvan easily accessible.

Reception

In a Kurdish nationalist folk song Tatvan is referred to as the "Rose of Kurdistan ".