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A new beginning for Akhtamar
The island church of Akhtamar has hosted many dignitaries in
its 1,086-year history.
The Alara River also boasts the historic 1,250 year old Ali
Köprüsü (Ali Bridge), an attraction which is being
introduced at domestic and international tourism trade fairs
even now.Built on the orders of Gagik Artsruni, ruler of the
kingdom of Vaspurakan, it was the seat of (decreasingly
influential) Armenian patriarchs from 1116 until 1895. In
the 19th century several noted European travellers paid
visits. Layard, the British archaeologist cum diplomat,
describes being rowed across the blue waters of Lake Van to
Akhtamar in the company of “four sturdy monks.” Some years
later, the intrepid Isabella Bird made the same trip,
writing disparagingly that the incumbent patriarch “has the
reputation of extreme ignorance, and of being more of a
farmer than an ecclesiastic.”
Tomorrow, it will be officially opened by dignitaries from
the contemporary political scene -- with top brass from the
military joined by representatives from the Ministries of
Culture and Tourism, the Interior, the National Intelligence
Agency (MIT) and a former governor of Van. They’ll have a
long way to travel, as Van lies some 1,237 kms southeast of
Ankara. The $1.5 million restoration of this beautiful
church, which began in May 2005, was government funded -- an
allocation of resources that has significance well beyond
the rescue of an important historical building. Since the
inception of the Turkish republic in 1923, the country’s
Armenian past has been either ignored or denied. That doyen
of female travellers, Freya Stark, visiting Van in the late
1950s, wrote that she planned to extend her stay as “the
island of Akhtamar, with a famous 11th century church which
no one for years was allowed to visit” had just been opened
to visitors.
Cynics will suggest that it was only after the EU made funds
available and invited proposals for this project that the
Turkish government stepped in. Whatever the reason, the
restoration of an Armenian Christian building is a promising
sign that a balanced view of Turkey’s past is taking root at
the highest levels. In a gesture of reconciliation,
officials from Armenia have been invited to the ceremony --
even though Turkey and Armenia severed diplomatic ties years
ago.
Political ramifications aside, what is it that makes
Akhtamar (or more properly Surb Khach -- the Church of the
Holy Cross) so special? Not its size -- this is a gem of a
church, not a giant of a cathedral. Built on a cruciform
plan, with four apses, it measures only 15m by 12m. Yet it
is wonderfully proportioned, its central polygonal drum
surmounted by a pyramidal roof straining towards the
heavens, its reddish sandstone perfectly complementing the
glimmering snow on the mountains ringing the azure lake.
What makes it unique, however, is the profusion of relief
carvings -- based on scenes from the Old and New Testaments
-- which liberally decorate the exterior. Although the
execution of the carvings is rather naive, the depictions
Adam and Eve, Jonah and the whale and King Gagik presenting
a model of the church to Jesus (amongst many other scenes)
are delightful. They also show a distinct eastern (Iranian
and Islamic) influence, not surprisingly given that the
monophysite Armenian church was at theological odds with the
mainstream Byzantine Orthodox Church in Constantinople, and
preferred to be ruled by the Islamic Abbasid Caliph based in
Baghdad. A team of five architects were in charge of the
recent restoration, including a Turk of Armenian origin. The
roof, cracked, leaking and sprouting grass and moss, has
undergone a major overhaul. The faded, defaced murals of
saints have been carefully patched-up and repainted, new
floorboards laid and the relief carvings on the exterior
walls restored to their former glory.
Over the years Akhtamar has been targeted by treasure
hunting villagers (convinced that the departed Armenians
must have buried their valuables near the church), trigger
happy local hunters who used the relief carvings of biblical
figures for target practice, and thoughtless youths who
daubed the interior with crude graffiti. The region’s severe
winters had also taken their natural toll. Restoration was
imperative. Those of us, however, who had grown used to its
isolated, crumbling yet romantic glory will find it hard to
accustom ourselves to the spruce new pier, ticket office,
walkways, guard posts and shop (please, no Akhtamar
tea-towels!) -- not to mention the scrubbed-up facade and
gleaming interior.
Lovers of the remote and romantic can take solace in the
fact that the impossibly blue waters of Lake Van hold
another jewel of an island church -- that of Surb Hovhannes
(St John) on the islet of Çarpanak/Ktuts. An hour and a half
from Van’s harbour by a tiny, rusting ex-fishing vessel, it
is completely deserted bar a colony of screaming gulls. Be
warned, though. Local rumours suggest that this charming
monastery church, dating back to the 15th century, has been
earmarked for an Akhtamar style makeover. A 779-year era
ended on Akhtamar with the death of its last patriarch in
1895. Another, much shorter, concluded with the departure of
the last monks in the vicissitudes of 1916. Until the end of
the 1950’s Akhtamar was forbidden to foreign visitors. For
the last fifty odd years it has been the goal of adventurous
travellers seeking out a remote, infrequently visited ruin
in one of the world’s most austerely beautiful spots -- Lake
Van. What the future holds for this unique island church is
uncertain, but if its restoration leads to any further
rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia, it will have been
$1.5 million well spent.
[FINGERTIP FACTS]
Getting to Van: Turkish Airlines from İstanbul and Ankara -
daily flights. Atlas Jet daily from Istanbul. Sunexpress
Mondays and Wednesdays from Antalya. Regular coaches from
all parts of Turkey
Getting to Akhtamar: A ferryboat leaves from the quay on the
mainland opposite the island at frequent intervals in the
summer; on demand at other times of the year. Prices were
YTL 2.5 per person in 2006, but may well have risen for 2007
Getting to Çarpanak: Currently the only way is to hire a
boat from Van harbor, which costs around YTL 150. The boat
holds up to 20 people, and will wait for you to
explore/picnic on the island. If you visit in June/July
you’ll be mobbed by nesting gulls.
Admission and opening hours: Akhtamar dawn-dusk, the price
of YTL 2 in 2006 is likely to rise considerably following
the official opening. Çarpanak island/church has neither
site guardian nor entrance fees at present
Where to stay
Akdamar Hotel; central Van. Best of the city hotels
www.akdamarotel.com Tel 0432/214 9923
Merit Hotel; 12km from Van, on the way to Akhtamar.
Beautiful lakeside location www.merithotels.com Tel 0432/312
3060
Şahin Hotel; central Van. Cheaper than the above, perfectly
adequate www.otelsahin.com Tel 0432/216 3062
Where to eat
Besse; central Van on Melek İş Merkezi, Sanat Sokak.
Excellent value, traditional food and soothing surroundings,
but no alcohol
Saçı Beyaz; central Van, junction of Kazım Karabekir Caddesi
and Cumhuriyet Caddesi. Poshest of Van’s many patisseries,
with some tables outside for people watching
Guides and Maps
The Ahtamar Reliefs (published by Turizm Yayınları);
Armenian Van/Vaspurkan (Mazda Publishers Inc) Blue Guide:
Turkey; Rough Guide to Turkey; Lonely Planet:Turkey;
Kartographischen Verlag Reinhard Ryborsch map series no:6
28.03.2007
TERRY RICHARDSON VAN
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=107302
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