A NEW BEGINNING FOR AKHTAMAR
Terry Richardson Van
Today’s Zaman, Turkey
March 28 2007
The island church of Akhtamar has hosted many dignitaries in its
1,086-year history.
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
Carpanak/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 Ýstanbul 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 Carpanak: 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. Carpanak island/church has neither site guardian nor entrance
fees at present
Where to stay
Akdamar Hotel; central Van. Best of the city hotels
Tel 0432/214 9923
Merit Hotel; 12km from Van, on the way to Akhtamar. Beautiful lakeside
location Tel 0432/312 3060
Þahin Hotel; central Van. Cheaper than the above, perfectly adequate
Tel 0432/216 3062
Where to eat
Besse; central Van on Melek Ýþ Merkezi, Sanat Sokak. Excellent value,
traditional food and soothing surroundings, but no alcohol
Sacý Beyaz; central Van, junction of Kazým 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 Yayýnlarý); Armenian
Van/Vaspurkan (Mazda Publishers Inc) Blue Guide: Turkey; Rough Guide
to Turkey; Lonely Planet:Turkey; Kartographischen Verlag Reinhard
Ryborsch map series no:6
–Boundary_(ID_NDXnIclGxkO/9XYz5sJldA)–
www.akdamarotel.com
www.merithotels.com
www.otelsahin.com