Hoşap Castle

Hoşap - Güzelsu in Turkish, both meaning beautiful water - stands on a rock above a stream on the old caravan road south from Van, and most of what stands was built or rebuilt in 1649 by a local Kurdish bey, Sarı Süleyman, on the foundations of a medieval Armenian fortress and an Urartian stronghold before it. It is one of the more complete castles of its period in Turkey: an outer wall running along the ridge, a grand gate flanked by two round towers with a carved inscription and lion reliefs above it, and inside a warren of rooms cut and built into the rock - a mosque, a bath, a dungeon, cisterns, living quarters and the bey's own apartments, connected by passages and stairs. The mud-brick outer wall along the ridge has largely eroded. Below the castle is an Ottoman bridge over the stream. Restoration has been extensive and criticised in places for its methods, and the castle sits an hour from Van on the road toward Hakkari.

Highlights

• The round-towered gate - the inscribed entrance with lion reliefs.
• The rock-cut interior - mosque, bath, cisterns and quarters.
• The ridge wall - the eroded mud-brick outer defence.
• The old bridge - the Ottoman span below the crag.

When to go

May to October; winters here are severe and the road can be difficult. Mornings for light on the gate.

What to expect

The climb into the castle is steep on uneven rock and stairs. Restoration has altered fabric in ways specialists criticise. Facilities are minimal, and it is 60 km from Van.

Nearby

Van and its castle are an hour north; Çavuştepe's Urartian site is on the same road.

Key facts