Akdamar Island

Located three kilometers off the lake's mountainous southern shore, Akdamar Island was once home to a larger religious complex, all built in the 10th century by King Gagik Artzruni during his reign in the Vaspurkan Kingdom of Armenia.

Inside the church, you can see pieces of frescoes that are not well preserved, but the highlight here is the church's facade. The outer walls are covered with intricately and amazingly preserved stone relief carvings depicting a wide range of Old Testament stories. The church's facade is considered one of the most important surviving examples of Armenian artwork.

The island is reachable by cruise ship, which operates round-trip flights from the Port of Akdamar, near the village of Gevaş on the lake's south shore (45 km west of Van).

Boats only leave the dock when full, so it's recommended to take a tour from Van to secure more passengers and shorten your wait time. During winter and early spring, when Van's tourism is on hold, cruise boat trips are practically non-existent, and you'll most likely have to hire one of the private boats.

Location: Lake Van, Turkey