A cemetery to die for lake Van’s Ahlat

The setting is superlative. Flanked by the mighty volcanic cones of Mount Nemrut (3,050 meters) to the southwest and Mount Süphan (4,058 meters) to the northeast and with the vast, vivid blue expanse of Lake Van shimmering away to the south, this has to be one of the world's most impressively situated graveyards.

It certainly caught the imagination of British archeologist Austen Henry Layard, who visited Ahlat (or Akhlat as he spells it) in the mid-19th century. “At out feet, as we drew to the lake, were the gardens of the ancient city of Akhlat, leaning minarets and pointed mausoleums peeping above the trees. We rode through vast burying grounds, a perfect forest of upright stones seven or eight feet high of the richest red colour, most delicately and tastefully carved with arabesque ornaments and inscriptions in the massive character of the early Mussulman age. In the midst of them rose here and there a conical turbeh (tomb) of beautiful shape, covered with exquisite tracery. The monuments of the dead still stand, and have become the monuments of a city, itself long since crumbled into dust. Amidst orchards and gardens are scattered here and there low houses rudely built out of the remains of earlier habitations,” he wrote.

What you see today at Ahlat is pretty much as described by the intrepid Layard, who had made his way here on horseback from the distant Black Sea port of Trabzon, en route to begin his famous excavations at the Mesopotamian sites of Babylon and Nineveh. But how did this remarkable collection of funerary monuments get here? It's almost certain that the first people to leave their mark on Ahlat were the Urartians (circa 900–700 B.C.), a civilization whose empire stretched from modern Armenia in the north to the mountains of Hakkari in the south and from Iran's Lake Urmia in the east to Malatya in the west. They were superseded at Ahlat by another race very much associated with Lake Van, the Armenians.

All the monuments visible today, however, are Islamic. In 1071, following the crucial battle at nearby Malazgirt (Manzikert), the town fell to the Selçuk Turks, who were quickly displaced by the Kurdish Ayyubid dynasty. They could do nothing against the Mongol onslaught of 1244, though the more moderate Ilhanid dynasty from Persia soon took over. Next up, around 1400, came the Akkoyunlu (White Sheep) Turcomans, who made the town the “capital” of their loosely knit confederation. The Ottomans weren't able to cement their hold on Ahlat until 1548, but even then the Kurdish emirs of nearby Bitlis exercised the real control.

Layard had the advantage over the modern visitor of being able to wander at will around Ahlat's cemeteries on horseback -- indeed he even set up camp amongst the tombs. Today's visitors, on the other hand, have access to the site's small but informative museum -- the logical place to start your explorations. Although it might now appear that Ahlat was just one big graveyard, this was once a vibrant, industrious settlement churning out beautiful glazed pottery by the cartload. Some fragments of this pottery are on display in the museum, along with information about the kilns used to fire it and examples of coins made in the town's own mint. There is also some fine Urartian bronzework on show, including mirrors, belts, daggers and arrowheads. Before leaving the museum, make sure you examine the boards bearing detailed ground plans of the site, as the main points of interest are scattered over a wide area.

A couple of hundred meters south of the museum is Ahlat's largest tomb, aptly named the Ulu Kümbet (Great Tomb). Built between 1273 and 1275 for a Mongol chieftain, it is almost 20 meters high and surmounted by a conical stone roof. The 12-sided, reddish stone exterior is embellished with finely carved, flowing arabesques and pierced by ornate arched windows and a doorway. Like all the tombs at Ahlat, the Ulu Kümbet is two stories. The bottom floor, partly sunk beneath ground level, was for the mummified deceased (up to four family members could be interred here); the much higher upper floor was a prayer hall and contained an empty, symbolic sarcophagus. It is certain that the fashion for this kind of tower-tomb, spread into Anatolia by the Turks, came from further east and predates Islam. More contentious is the theory that the distinctive shape is based on the felt yurt (tent) of Central Asian nomadic tribes. In fact, it is highly likely that the kümbets of Ahlat derived from the gumbet, the polygonal, conical roof-capped drum of the region's Armenian churches, many built centuries before the arrival of the Turks.

Immediately north of the museum is a large expanse of flower-studded grassland liberally strewn with free-standing tombstones, some up to two meters tall. The headstones, often leaning at crazy angles, are covered in flowing calligraphic epitaphs (in Arabic and Persian) and floral and geometric motifs. At the north side of this vast (two kilometer square) cemetery, lies the most individual of Ahlat's tombs, the Bayındır Türbesi (1491). Built at the height of Akkoyunlu Turcoman power for the chieftain Bayındır, it boasts a colonnaded drum, allowing you to look out over the cemetery when inside the prayer hall. Apparently the only other tomb like it is to be found in Azerbaijan. Layard was duly awed by this fine structure, writing: “Around the turbeh [türbe or tomb] were scattered richly carved head and foot stones, marking the graves of less noble men; and the whole was enclosed by a grove of lofty trees, the dark-blue lake glittering beyond. Whilst the scene was worthy of the pencil of a Turner, each detail of the building was a study for an architect.”

Heading east from the Bayındır tomb brings you to the heart of the medieval city. It's set in a gorgeous valley, with a swift-flowing stream and apricot, cherry and walnut trees. Tortoises amble through the bleached yellow grass and iridescent bee-eaters nest in the mud banks. The soft rock of the valley side is riddled with rock-cut dwellings and tombs, though most of the free-standing houses have long since crumbled. Layard found many of the caves occupied by locals, whom he describes as “as noble a race as I have seen anywhere, tall, brawny men, handsome women and beautiful children. They were Kurds, dressed in the flowing and richly coloured robes of their tribe. I talked to them and found them courteous, intelligent and communicative.”

Spanning the stream below is the attractive old Bridge of Bayındır, built at the behest of the Akkoyunlu leader, set attractively beneath shady poplars and above the foaming white curtain of a natural weir. Above, poised dramatically on the lip of the valley, is the second biggest tomb in Ahlat, the Hasan Padishah Türbesi. Built in 1275, it is a virtual mirror image of the Ulu Kümbet, its 12-sided drum sporting blind arcades. Behind it is another cemetery full of 14th century tombstones, far less visited than that near the museum.

There is much, much more to see in Ahlat, including the striking Çifte Kümbetler (Twin Tombs) and the Ottoman-era fortress, and you'll need at least a day to take in all the main attractions. Layard, who spent a couple of nights camped here, was very reluctant to leave. “On my return [from exploring the site] to our encampment the tents were struck, and the caravan had already begun its march. Time would not permit me to delay, and with a deep longing to linger in this favoured spot I slowly followed the road leading along the margin of the lake to Bitilis. I have seldom seen a fairer scene, one richer in natural beauties.”

Travel tips

Getting to Ahlat: Flights to Van: Turkish Airlines from İstanbul and Ankara -- daily flights. Pegasus daily from Ankara and İstanbul. Sunexpress Mondays and Wednesdays from Antalya, daily from İzmir. Regular coaches from all parts of Turkey. Buses to Tatvan/Ahlat: At least five daily to Tatvan. Hourly minibuses from Tatvan to Ahlat, 45 minutes.

 Where to stay: Selçuklu, Zübeyde Hanım Caddesi (0434/412 5697) on the shore at the extreme east end of town, built of local stone. Recently renovated and trying hard. Metropol (0434/412 4572). Further out of town but cheaper than the Selçuklu, with cheerful rooms and a good grill restaurant.

Where to eat: Vangölü, opposite the PTT in the lower town, is excellent, scrupulously clean and always full of local teachers, women and families. Döner kebab and sulu yemek take precedence in the day, grills and pide in the evenings.  N.B. There is more choice of accommodation and restaurants in Tatvan.

Opening times and admissions: Cemeteries and old city (free, dawn to dusk); Museum (TL 3, Tues-Sun 8 a.m.–noon, 1p.m.–5 p.m.)