Island Geography
Flora
Van doesn’t have a rich flora due to its climate. Steppe vegetation is common. The most fertile areas are the plains formed by streams on the side of the lake. Small forests along the rivers are prominent. The most significant tree species are poplar, willow and elm. When one arrives at Aghtamar Island, apricot and almond trees stand out. Especially in May, in the late spring season, the island is first covered with the white flowers of the trees and then changes its colour tolilac and purple and eventually turns to green and stays green until September.
Climate
Van andAkdamar Island have a continental climate. In summers it’s hot and dry, and in wintersit is cold and snowy. However, Lake Van affects the climate of the settlementsin this area and causes the winters to be milder. The ground surface is coveredwith snow 80 days of a year. 133 days a year have frost. The averagetemperature in Van throughout the year is 8.8 °C. The coldest month in thecentrum is January, the hottest months are July and August.
Location
Akdamar Islandis 52 kilometres away from Van centrum, in the offshore of Gevaş. It is 25minutes away from Gevas by boat.
Lake Van
Lake Van isa crater lake formed by the volcanic eruption of Mount Nemrut, which is withinthe borders of Tatvan County. Its surface area is 3.713 km². Lake Van is an aquaticecosystem that differs from both fresh water and marine ecosystems. Its wateris saline and alkaline. It has an altitude of 1,646 metres. The average depthof the lake is 171m, the deepest portion is 451 metres. There are four islandson the east side of the lake. These are Akdamar, Çapanak, Adır and Kuş Islands.The islands hold historical and touristic characteristics and were designatedas archaeological sites in 1990.
Artos Mountain
Mount Artosis the continuation of the South-eastern Taurus Mountains. Due to themicroclimate created by Lake Van, its southern side and northern side hassignificant differences in terms of climate. It causes a milder climate in thebasin against high and cold winds. The mountain, which has a significant amountof sulphur, is also one of the few geographies in the world especially for itsbutterfly population. It hosts around 200 butterfly species and it is a centreof attention of scientists for its flora. The only mountain in the world thathas equivalent characteristics with Artos is in New Zealand. It is veryconvenient for mountain skiing and mountain sports with its altitude of 1,800metres.
Four Seasons in the Island
Autumn
Winter
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Spring
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Summer
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Wild Life in the Island
Seagulls
EuropeanHerring Gull (Larus argentatus) population is high in the vicinity of Lake Vanand especially in Aghtamar Island. They use Aghtamar and Çapanak Islands asbreeding areas. Their population in Aghtamar is around 1000. A seagull couple canalso be seen in the pediment decorations on the northern facade of the Church.
Rabbits
The wildrabbits in Aghtamar Island have a population around 100. The wild rabbits whichdraw much attention from the visitors are widely used in the exteriordecorations of the church as well.
Turtles
Anothermember of the rich habitat of Akdamar Island is the turtles. The cute turtles,which live side by side with the visitors in the ancient fabric of the Islandare probably the living witnesses of decades of the history in the island.
Other Creatures
In the Lake Van basin, there are 332 endangered bird species, such as flamingo, swan, white-headedduck, white wagtail and heron. Only 220 of these species could yet be fully identified. Aghtamar Island is one of the hatching areas of these bird species.Especially white wagtails are frequently seen in the island. Bird chirps that multiply specifically in spring, attract the attention of the visitors.
Getting to the Island
Getting to Van
It is possible to travel to Van by airway and railway as well as by land route. LakeVan Express, which departs from Ankara every Tuesday and Sunday, reaches Tatvanin about 26 hours. It’s possible to get to Van from Tatvan by bus or ferry. It is possible to get to Van in 1 hours 30 minutes by taking the daily flights fromIstanbul. Those who would like to come to Van from abroad can fly to Van via Istanbul, Ankara and Antalya.
Getting to Gevaş
Thedistance from Van centrum to Gevaş is approximately 40 kms. This distance canbe travelled by car in about 35 minutes. There are also shuttles to the ferriestravelling from Gevaş to Akdamar. Shuttles reach Gevaş in around 1 hour.
Getting to Aghtamar
It ispossible to get to Aghtamar Island by the boats departing from the ferry port inGevaş. The boats depart every our and reach the island in 35 minutes. Regulartrips are not possible between October and March due to weather conditions.
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