Gürpinar
Encyclopedia
Gürpınar is a district of Van Province
and 20 km (12 mi) south of Van
. Gurpinar's total area is 4700 km2 and is the largest area of the districts of Turkey. It has 72 villages and many historical areas.
The Kurdish name is "Payizava".
In the Middle Ages, the area was the location of the Armenian kingdom of Vaspurakan
, ruled by the Artsruni House
of Armenian kings.
Van Province
Van Province is a province in eastern Turkey, between Lake Van and the Iranian border. It is 19,069 km2 in area and had a population of 1,035,418 at the end of 2010....
and 20 km (12 mi) south of Van
Van, Turkey
Van is a city in southeastern Turkey and the seat of the Kurdish-majority Van Province, and is located on the eastern shore of Lake Van. The city's official population in 2010 was 367,419, but many estimates put this as much higher with a 1996 estimate stating 500,000 and former Mayor Burhan...
. Gurpinar's total area is 4700 km2 and is the largest area of the districts of Turkey. It has 72 villages and many historical areas.
Name
Its old name and Armenian name is "Hayots-tzor" .The Kurdish name is "Payizava".
History
In Armenian mythology, Hayots Dzor is the valley where the Armenian progenitor Hayk defeated the army of the invading Assyrian king Bel and constructed a fortress (Haykaberd) nearby.In the Middle Ages, the area was the location of the Armenian kingdom of Vaspurakan
Vaspurakan
Vaspurakan was the first and biggest province of Greater Armenia, which later became an independent kingdom during the Middle Ages, centered around Lake Van...
, ruled by the Artsruni House
Artsruni
Artsruni was an ancient Armenian noble family that claimed descent from Sennacherib, King of Assyria . Although it mirrors the Bagratuni claim of Davidic descent and the Mamikonian claim of descent from the royal Han Dynasty, it is usually interpreted as a piece of genealogical mythology...
of Armenian kings.
Historical places
- Hoşap CastleHosap CastleHoşap Castle is a large medieval castle in the village of Hoşap , official name Güzelsu, Van]], located in the Gürpınar Distirct of the Van Province, southeastern Turkey...
- HaykaberdHaykaberdHaykaberd , currently known as , is a fortified site in the Hayots Dzor region of historic Armenia . It is located approximately 25 kilometers southeast of Van along the road leading to the city of Hakkâri...
(Çavuştepe) Urartian Castle, - Surp Marinos MonasterySurp Marinos MonasterySt. Marinos is a damaged Armenian Orthodox monastery in Hoşap valley in the south of Van Province of modern Turkey, to the southeast from the Lake_van.-History:...
, - Zernek castle,
- Dar Mariam Church,
- Put cave and cave pics,
- Tirishim plateau, rock pictures park,
- Menua Canal