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Referred
to as the 'sea' by local people, Lake
Van spans the province of Bitlis
to the west and Van to the east. Ahlat
lies on its western shore between the towering mountain of
Nemrut to the southwest and Süphan
to the northeast. Behind the town stretches the plain of Ahlat. Mount
Nemrut is the last of Turkey's volcanos ever to erupt, and it was one
of its ancient eruptions which created Lake Van. The flowing lava petrified
to form a natural dam, behind which the waters collected to form Turkey's
largest lake. In the crater of Mount Nemrut itself is Lake
Nemrut, also a record holder as Turkey's deepest lake. Ahlat
is famed for its Seljuk period mausoleums, whose magnificent architecture
and stone carving have led historians to describe it as the land of the
Seljuk renaissance. These tombs number among the greatest monuments of
early Turkish civilisation in Anatolia. The history of this region can
be traced back to the 15th century BC. It was ruled in turn by the Assyrians,
Urartians, Medes, Persians, Macedonians, Seleucids, Parthians
and Alatosians, to be followed by the Byzantines,
Abbasids and diverse principalities. Ahlat,
anciently Hilat, changed hands frequently, and was the scene of countless
uprisings and invasions. The Seljuk Turks took
Ahlat in 1093, and ruled here until 1230. This was followed by more centuries
of upheaval, which lasted until Ahlat became part of the Ottoman
Empire after the Battle of Çaldıran
in 1514. So Ahlat is a town which has seen many peoples come and go, and
survived periods of prosperity and adversity.
The renowned mausoleums, known as
kümbet, stand by the road, or at the edge of fields, others in
peoples' gardens or on hilltops. These centuries old buildings are among the finest
examples of Seljuk architecture, and the final resting places of
many eminent figures of the period. Most of the kümbets have a square base above which is
a polygonal drum supporting a cylindrical body, covered by a conical roof with an interior
cupola. A few, such as that of Şeyh Necmeddin, are square. One of the most distinctive
kümbets is that of Emir Bayındır, encircled by short columns
linked by arches. Among those most renowned for their ornate carving are Usta Şagirt
Kümbet (Ulu Kümbet) dated 1273, the Hasan Padişah Kümbet and Double Kümbets dating
from around the same time, the Hüseyin Timur Kümbet (1279) and Bugatay Aka Kümbet
(1281). As we went from one to the other, we felt as if we had travelled back in time.
Most had richly decorated portals, carved in relief with dragons, geometric and floriate
motifs, and inscriptions. The Seljuk graveyard at Ahlat is
another extraordinary sight. Here the graves are marked not by kümbets, but by great
stones 2 metres in height, known locally as akıt.
Like the kümbets, the stone carving on these tombstones is remarkable, turning the
cemetery into an openair museum.
Ahlat is a town with a population of over ten thousand
which sprawls along its 5 kilometre long main street, Sanayi Caddesi.
Seated on small stools outside the coffee houses and shops along here we got to know the
town's modern inhabitants over our glasses of strong tea. Behind the main street are the
charming one and two storey houses built of local Ahlat stone, and almost buried in green
foliage. Each house has a large garden planted with mainly apricot, cherry, walnut and
plum trees, and surrounded by a wall of the same stone. The economy of Ahlat is based on
farming and animal husbandry, but it is also famous still for its stone and
stone masons. As well as the Ahlat stone, pumice is quarried in the region.
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