UluMosque, Adilcevaz
Ahlat, Bitlis |
The
lively city of Bitlis, an important center of tobacco production, stands
in the middle of a green oasis. The city's architecture uses the local
dark stone, and the masonry monuments include the Serefhan Medrese, the
12th-century Ulu Mosque, the Seljuk Gokmeydani Mosque, and the
Ottoman
Serefiye Mosque. Bitlis Ski center is close to the town's center. From
Tatvan on the western shore of Lake Van, you can take a passenger and
train ferry across thewater to Van. Nemrut Dagi (Mount Nemrut) makes a
challenging climb. In its center a deep crater lake bubbles with
volcanic hot springs.
The ruins of Ahlat, 44 km north of Tatvan on the west shore of Lake Van,
once an important city of Turkish art and culture, are scattered today
among more recent constructions. In the 12th century this city was the
capital of the Turkish state that ruled the Van Basin. Several
mausoleums, notably the Ulu Kumbet, the Bayindir Kumbet, the Hasan Pasha
Kumbet and the Cifte Kumbets offer a comprehensive overview of Seljuk
funerary architecture and decoration. In the Seljuk cemetry are
beautifully inscribed monumental tombstones from the 12th century. The
Turkish Art Museum houses a collection of ceramics, ancient coins and
jewelry. Modern Ahlat provides lakeside tourist accomodation, beach
facilities and restaurants.
As you drive around the lake you come to Adilcevaz, where the Ulu Mosque,
built of the region's dark volcanic stone, stands on the lake shore. Ten
kilometers west of Adilcevaz is Kef castle, and the nearby Urartian
temple of Haldi dates from the ninth century B.C. Artifacts from this
site can be seen in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in
Ankara. The
Adilcevaz High School garden displayssome of the column bases. |
