Lake Van
Turkey's largest lake, a salty soda lake at 1,640 metres in the eastern highlands, with no outlet since a volcanic eruption blocked it in prehistoric times. Its water is so salty that it rarely freezes, even in hard winters.
- Where
- Van, Van, Türkiye
- Grade
- Well known
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 1 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 38.6333, 42.8167
Get the Lake Van stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Lake Van. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Van volume with your photos and a note.
Near Lake Van
Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Akdamar 38 km
A medieval Armenian church on Akdamar Island in Lake Van, built in 921 as the palace church of the kings of Vaspurakan. Its outer walls are carved with biblical scenes, and it is reached by boat across the lake.
Van Fortress 48 km
A massive stone fortress built by the kingdom of Urartu between the 9th and 7th centuries BC, on a steep rock just west of Van. It overlooks the ruins of Tushpa, the Urartian capital, and later rulers from the Medes to the Ottomans held it in turn.
Ishak Pasha Palace 150 km
A semi-ruined Ottoman palace and administrative complex on a rocky ledge above Doğubayazıt. It mixes Ottoman, Persian and Seljuk styles in carved stone, with a mosque, a harem and courtyards looking out over the plain.
Mount Ararat 174 km
A snow-capped dormant volcano in easternmost Turkey with two cones, Greater Ararat at 5,137 metres and Little Ararat at 3,896 metres. It is the highest peak in Turkey, and its base is about 35 km wide.
Mor Gabriel Monastery 184 km
A Syriac Orthodox monastery near Midyat in the Tur Abdin hills, founded in 397 AD by Mor Shmuel and Mor Shemʿun. It is one of the oldest Christian monasteries still in use anywhere, and monks and nuns live there today.
Çifte Minareli Madrasa 194 km
A late Seljuk theological school in Erzurum, built a few years before 1265. It takes its name from the two fluted minarets that crown its carved stone gateway, one of the most recognisable façades in eastern Turkey.
Ani 218 km
The ruins of a medieval Armenian city on a plateau above a river gorge in Kars province. Once called the city of a thousand and one churches, it still holds a cathedral, churches and long walls standing alone on the grassland.
Diyarbakır City Walls 240 km
The great black basalt walls that enclose Sur, the old city of Diyarbakır, with an inner citadel above the Tigris. They run for several kilometres with towers and gates, and long stretches can still be walked.
Questions
Where is Lake Van?
Lake Van is in Van, Van, Türkiye. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Akdamar (38 km), Van Fortress (48 km), Ishak Pasha Palace (150 km).
How do I get the Lake Van stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Lake Van and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Van volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Lake Van before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Van volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.