Van, Turkey

As the latest in a series of popular tourist rail trips, the Tourist Tatvan Train has completed its first journey with an almost two-day voyage to highlight the touristic value of the southeastern town.

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced the inauguration of the "Touristic Tatvan Train," set to commence operations between Ankara and Tatvan on June 24.

The train will carry 140 passengers on its 1,262-kilometer journey, which will take approximately 28 hours and feature a unique travel experience aimed at enhancing Türkiye's tourism sector.

The Lake Van Express, stretching from the capital Ankara to the eastern province of Bitlis' Tatvan district, has become a focal point for photographers, particularly during the winter months.

With the studies carried out by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, governorship and municipality, the historical Akdamar Island of the eastern province of Van and the historical church on it has been lit up and the island has attracted attention with its new appearance.

Amidst escalating concerns about climate change, striking photographs captured at Lake Van in the Eastern Anatolian region have revealed the harsh reality of drought.

Global climate change and resulting droughts continue to affect Lake Van. The 3,712 square kilometer lake is the largest soda lake in the world and the largest lake in Türkiye.

A group of divers have uncovered areas that bear traces of both a cemetery and a village at the bottom of Lake Van.

New ruins have been discovered at the bottom of the 3,712 square kilometer Lake Van, the country's largest saline soda lake.

As part of the "Van Sea Swimming Festival," organized by the Van Municipality to promote Lake Van and to boost tourism, professional swimmers have swum in Nemrut Crater Lake, Türkiye's largest crater lake.

A protester outside the Turkish embassy in Berlin, Germany, May 2017. Photo: EPA/CLEMENS BILAN

On June 17, Aygul, who is also the chairperson of the Bitlis Association of Journalists, wrote on Twitter that security guards employed by the mayor of the eastern Turkish city of Tatvan, Mehmet Emin Geylani, physically assaulted him in the street.

Two individuals have been arrested in connection with the assault on journalist Sinan Aygül in the eastern Bitlis province's Tatvan district.

Yücel Baysali, an employee of Tatvan Municipality, and police officer Engin Kaplan were detained and subsequently taken into custody.

The "Van Cat Villa," which houses numerous domestic cats in the eastern province, has welcomed more than 90,000 visitors in five months, giving a boost to the local tourism.

The Van cats, famous for their different eye colors and pure white fur, are meticulously taken care of at the "Van Cat Villa" located on the Yüzüncü Yıl University campus.