So a quick recap on where we are…we are on Lake Van in Eastern Turkey. It is a large inland body of water of about 1400 square miles at an elevation of 5737 feet. The lake is fed by a number of rivers and is highly alkaline. Last night, we stopped at Adilcevaz a small town that’s famous for its walnuts and it’s also well known for an old mosque and fortress.  After a spot of breakfast we tootle in to town to look at the highlights. 

Old Mosque…closed

On  the way to our next stop Ahlat, we call at a local supermarket. Nothing special until we return to Vin and find a small convoy of motorhomers surrounding Vin. They seem overly excited to see us and it turns out they are part of the Turkish Caravan Club (Turkish call all mobile homes caravans).  We are invited to join their convoy but sadly we have to decline as we are meeting someone later this afternoon. However, we do plan to be in Van in a couple of days, so we exchange contact details. Once they arrive in Van they will send us the details. After a brief chat we dash to the fridge to save the all important ice cream. 

Turkey Motorhome Club

Onward to Ahlat!  There’s much more to Ahlat than you’re going to see in this post. According to some write ups, Ahlat is worth a whole day of your time. Perhaps we did it an injustice by only sticking around for a couple of hours or so, but we had Tatvan by nightfall. 

Ahlat is well known for its graveyard. This isn’t any ordinary graveyard, however. The headstones in the cemetery are said to date back to the 13th century. They’re set over a sprawling, grassy landscape and surrounded by distant mountains and hills. At the entrance, a small mosque and tomb.

A little further through the gates, a cluster of tall stones rises from a grassy mound. Once you see once, you see another and another…they appear endless. A crude wooden pathway runs around and through the graveyard. Crows fly and squark amongst the stone headstones of lichen covered grey or red volcanic tuff. A small group of archaeologist take shelter under a white canopy as they carefully restore intricate web patterns and bands of Kufic lettering.

Back at Vin and we have a surprise under the motorhome, a week tortoise.  Think we need to move him to a safe place.  After watching the tortoise bed down in the hay, we head off around the lake to Tatvan.

Five o’clock just an hour or so before sunset and the town gets it second wind. People are out in the streets again and the shops are buzzing. Kebab shops are the hub of the community and the crowds are drawn to the smell of the sizzle. Children race in the street and elders get ready for a nightly game of backgammon. Tatvan like most towns is crazy with vehicles trying to get anywhere and everywhere. Crowds are fed by a stream of white minibuses picking up and dropping off is constant. Weaving amongst them are all varieties of the transport spectrum, from donkey to Tata, with missing windows and buckled wheels. But one thing that is not missing, the horn…the common voice of Turkey. 

Following the road around the lake

By sunset, we were enjoying a beer on the side of Lake Van. We’d arranged to meet up with Mike, a true English gentlemen who we’ve been in touch with for a few months. Mike aka Martha and the Vanduella Travels arrived here a month before us.

Surrounded by mountainous terrain and dominated by the unearthly blue, alkaline expanse of Lake Van. The horizon dotted with Urartian, Selçuk and Armenian monuments and all in the shadow of Nemrut Dagi. With such a perfect setting we chat our way through 48 hours and time seems to have little relevance. We talk about our journey and experience of Turkey.  Our routes are very different but we have one thing in common…our love for Turkey and its amazing people. 

Our Bumble wild camping spot at Koyluca GPS position N038.466355, E042.507911