Van Museum; A journey from the Paleolithic to the Ottoman era

When you hear the name of Van, the image of large passages and the beautiful nature of Lake Van comes to your mind. Few people may know that the tourist city of Van, in addition to arcades and shopping centers, also has a valuable museum that exposes the civilization and history of the city to everyone.

One Turkey Museum, a large museum with more than 2,600 historical artifacts from the distant past and different civilizations, gives you the opportunity to walk through thousands of years of history and civilization.

The Van Museum, which is one of the most famous places in Van, displays the works of civilizations from the Medes, Achaemenians, Parthians, Byzantium and Ottoman eras, and you can see the progress of civilizations there.

So, be with Alibaba Tourism Magazine so that we can explore this fascinating and unknown museum together.

Introducing Van Museum

The One Museum has attracted the attention of tourists and even the judges of the European Museum of the Year festival with its magnificent and rare works and managed to reach the finals of this festival in 2021.

Van Museum of Turkey with 23 halls, ancient educational areas for children, cafe, library, exhibition hall, resting places, shop, temporary exhibitions and complete facilities has become one of the best sightseeing places in Van city.

But you may be asked where did all these valuable historical artifacts of the museum come from? The answer is the city of Van itself. Throughout history, the city of Van has been an important and strategic city due to its location on the Silk Road. Because of this strategic location, this city has always been the focus of kings and power seekers to the point where it was chosen as the capital of the government during the Urartos rule.

For this reason, this museum is also known as the Urartu Museum, because most of the works of the One Museum belong to the Urartu government and tell many stories about this civilization and its people. From inscriptions and manuscripts to daily life tools and clothes of Urartu era people can be found in this museum.

Photo from: Google Maps site

In addition, you can see documents such as pottery, seals, coins, weapons, agricultural tools, works of art, statues and strange tombstones in this museum.

It is interesting to know that the old building of the museum was damaged in the 2011 earthquake and the historical works were moved to a new building. The new building does not fit with the ancient works inside and is completely built in a modern style and has an innovative and modern appearance.

Photo from: Google Maps site

Where is Van Museum?

Address of Van Museum: Türkiye, Van city, Yali quarter

Van Museum is located in the beautiful and touristic city of Van in the east of Turkey, which has attracted the attention of many Iranians in recent years.

Location of One Museum on Google Map

Access route to Van Museum

Van is a small city and its sightseeing and tourist centers are very close to each other. Hence, you won’t have much trouble to visit the Van Museum.

Photo from: Google Maps site

Van Museum is located near Cumhuriyet Street, which is one of the main and busy streets of Van city. So whatever you tell the taxi driver, it will easily take you to the Van Museum. Of course, you can also use the bus. Just ask the locals which bus passes near Cumhuriyet Street or Kazem Karabaker.

The best time to visit Van Museum

The best time to visit Van Museum in terms of season is spring and summer. Because the weather is moderate and it does not reach above 30 degrees on the hottest days. Also, in these two seasons, the views of the city of Van are very spectacular, which can be another attraction.

We do not recommend you to visit Van Museum in autumn and winter. Because in these two seasons, the city of Van is very cold and witnesses heavy snow and rain. Also, it is better not to travel to Van during the holy month of Ramadan, because most of the shops and restaurants are closed and you will face various challenges as a traveler.

Try to visit the museum in the middle of the week and in the early hours so that you can enjoy walking in the heart of history in peace and quiet.

Photo from: Google Maps site

Van museum working hours

Van Museum opens its doors to tourists every day except Mondays from 8 am.

Keep this in mind, this museum closes at 19:00 in the summer and at 17:00 in the winter.

History of Van Museum

The story of building a museum in the small city of Van since 1932. It started with the discovery of cuneiform tablets. Tablets that carried the long and rich history and culture of the city of Van and definitely needed a suitable and proper place for storage.

Photo from: Google Maps site

Also, the tombstones belonging to the governments of Agh Qoyunlu and Qara Qoyunlu were also wandering and there was no suitable space to store and display them. After that, the first steps were taken to open the One Türkiye Museum.

Of course, in the beginning, this museum was mostly a warehouse, but later, with the addition of more historical and valuable objects, it was upgraded to a museum office in 1945 and a full museum in 1972. All this made the officials consider a bigger building for this museum and change the building of the museum.

Photo from: Google Maps site

Van Museum architecture

The One Museum building was damaged during the 2011 earthquake and could no longer be used. Therefore, the officials looked for a new space to transfer ancient artifacts and found a modern and modern building suitable for Van Museum. The new building was opened to tourists in 2019 to give people a chance to learn about the history of Turkey.

Photo from: Google Maps site

The new building of the museum is a building with modern and contemporary architecture, which has become a tourist attraction with technological advances and innovative designs, apart from its valuable items. The elements of sustainable architecture, multi-purpose spaces and the use of renewable energy all show the passion and interest of the architects of this building for innovation and technology.

The facade of the museum is completely glass and its design is a combination of simple and modern lines with materials such as metal, concrete and glass. This glass facade and the use of large windows have made natural sunlight become one of the main elements of this museum and create an open and bright space.

Photo from: Google Maps site

Different parts of Van Museum

If you want to visit this museum, you must know the different parts of the museum first.

– Archeology hall

One of the attractive parts of the Van museum is the archeology hall, which displays ancient works and objects discovered from the ancient sites of the city of Van and its surroundings. By walking among the objects of this hall, you enter different periods from prehistoric times to Urartu, Achaemenid, Parthian, Sasanian, Byzantine and other periods.

Photo from: Easternturkeytour site

The tools you see in this hall include stone tools, pottery, statues, inscriptions, works and pieces of ancient architecture. Also, in this hall, through thematic exhibitions, you will get to know daily life, religion, ritual, art and ancient culture.

Ethnology hall

On the other side, in the Ethnology Hall, there are more interesting works to visit. Because you can see the lifestyle of those who lived in this land for many years.

Get to know more about the daily life, culture, tradition and religion of the ancient people and see their clothes, tools and handicrafts closely. In the hall of traditional clothes, clothes of different tribes have a lot to say.

Photo from: Google Maps site

Jewelry, carpets, handicrafts, kitchen utensils, agricultural tools and household items are attractive and spectacular works of Ethnology Hall. Another attraction of this hall, which makes you more familiar with the culture of the past, is the objects and documents related to religious rituals and ceremonies.

– Eastern part

The eastern part of One Türkiye Museum is one of the spectacular and popular parts among visitors. The eastern part is outside the museum and is in the form of a garden that displays the Urartu victory statue and the Urartu god.

Photo from: Turkishmuseums website

You can also see different tombstones in the shape of sheep and rams in this section. The age of these tombstones goes back to the era of Agh Quyunulu and Qara Quyunulu.

Works of Van Museum

The history of Van civilization dates back to the Paleolithic era, and throughout history, especially in the Urartian civilization, Van has played a key and important role. For this reason, you can see valuable works from different periods in this museum. Most of the historical works of Van Museum of Türkiye are related to the Urartian civilization and it is considered the richest Urartian museum in the world.

Photo from: Google Maps site

Works from the Paleolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Urartian, Iranian, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic and Seljuk eras provide you with a complete historical journey. About 26,000 valuable historical artifacts are gathered in this museum so that you have the opportunity to get to know the history of this land better and more.

Photo from: Google Maps site

In general, you will find important historical pieces in this museum such as cuneiform tablets, obsidian tools, bone tools, seals, weapons, daily life objects, agricultural tools, statues, coins, local clothes, jewelry, works of art, old clothes, carpets. You will find tombs and documents related to celebrations and historical rituals.

Photo from: Google Maps site

Sightseeing places near Van Museum

If you go to visit Van Museum, it is a pity to miss the sightseeing places near the museum.

Ataturk Kultur Park

The beautiful nature of Van is clearly visible in the parks of this small city. One of these beautiful parks, Atatürk Culture Park with a large playground for children, cafe and restaurant, numerous pavilions and other facilities is one of the best places for family time.

Photo from: Tripadvisor site

We suggest you visit this park to relax and enjoy the clean air and beautiful nature of Van.

The distance between One Museum and Atatürk Culture Park is about 500 meters (2 minutes).

– Castle Of Van

If you are interested in the history of the Urartos, go to the Van Castle, which is one of the monuments of this civilization on the mountains of the eastern bank of the city of Van. The Urartos were an ancient nation that ruled a part of Iran, Armenia and Turkey, and the city of Van was their capital and key region.

Photo from: Yuix site

Van Castle was built in the 7th to 9th century BC and was buried under water over time. But divers from Yale’s Van Yuzonki University discovered it and revealed a new puzzle piece to the history of the Urartos.

The castle was a fort that was used for protection and surveillance, and it was used by various governments throughout history, such as Medes, Achaemenians, Parthians, Romans, and other civilizations. This fortress is very strong and is considered one of the largest fortresses in the Anatolian region.

Photo from: Yuix site

It is interesting to know that there is an inscription of Xerxes I in this castle, which is carved in the heart of a rock. This inscription, which is written in three ancient Persian, Babylonian and Elamite languages, and fortunately, this inscription has suffered little damage over time.

So if you are interested in history, visit Van Castle to have a meeting with the past of this land.

The distance from Van Museum to Van Castle is about 500 meters (2 minutes).

Photo from: Yuix site

Van cat house

It’s impossible to be a cat lover and not be excited to visit Van’s Cat House. In fact, if you are interested in spending time with cats, Van’s cat house will be your ideal place.

But in this house you are not going to see ordinary cats, you are going to hang out with cats that are white and furry and have slanted eyes. Unlike the rest of their species, these cats love to play with water and are very fond of eating fruit.

Photo from: Staticflickr site

Van breed cats are famous in the world for their different eyes, usually one is blue and the other is amber, and they are specially protected. Especially since 1999. When this breed was threatened with extinction, the Turkish government set up a center called Van Cat House for the special care of these cats.

The building for keeping these lovely furry cats is located in a university near Lake Van and its doors are always open to animal lovers.

Photo from: Staticflickr site

The distance from Van Museum to Van Cat House is about 11 km (20 minutes).

– Van AVM shopping center

Van shopping center is one of the most famous attractions of this small and touristic city. In the meantime, the AVM shopping center is one of the largest and most popular shopping centers in Van, which you will not return empty-handed from.

Photo from: Yuix site

You can find everything from clothes, bags and shoes to jewelry and electronics from different brands in this shopping center. This complex has amenities such as cafe and restaurant, toilet, mosque, parking and playground for children. For this reason, it is considered one of the best options for spending time with the family.

The distance from One Museum to AVM One shopping center is about 5 km (14 minutes).

Divan Beach outdoor water park

If you are a fan of water sports and exciting activities, don’t miss Divan Beach outdoor water park. Among the water parks of One, Dewan Beach is one of the largest and most modern.

The distance between One Museum and Divan Beach Water Park is about 9 km (25 minutes).

Stay near Van Museum

Since Van is a touristic and small city, it has many options for accommodation. You can go to luxury and 5-star hotels or economic and 3-star hotels according to your budget. Also, the beautiful nature of Van is a wonderful option for camping; Of course, provided that you have enough experience and camping equipment.

In the following, we have listed some of the popular Van hotels that are near the Van Museum.

5 star hotels

• Hotel The Conforium Hotel Van
• Hotel DoubleTree by Hilton Van
• Hotel Elite World Van

4 star hotels

• Hotel Haldi Hotel Van
• Hotel Ramada by Wyndham Van Van
• Hotel Rua World Hotel Van

Three star hotels

• Hotel Sardur Otel Van
• Hotel Yakut Hotel Van
• Hotel Royal Palas Hotel Van

Recommendations for visiting Van Museum

One Turkey Museum is full of valuable historical artifacts, each of which has many stories, so allow 2 to 3 hours to fully visit this museum.

Wear appropriate shoes for a long walk in the museum.

There is a coffee shop and a shop in the museum, so you don’t need to burden your backpack and take food from outside.