Latest / The Story of Armenia: Survival Through Empires and Genocide — Fexingo History / The Armenian Highlands: Van, Lake, and Lost Kingdoms
Transcript
- Lucas: Luna, when people picture Armenia today, they often think of Mount Ararat, but there's another body of water that's just as central to Armenian identity: Lake Van. It's huge — about the size of Lake Geneva — and sits in what's now eastern Turkey, surrounded by volcanic peaks and ancient ruins. Luna: I've heard it called the 'Sea of Armenia' in old texts. Was it really that important? Lucas: Absolutely. For millennia, Lake Van was the heart of Armenian civilization. Its shores were home to the Urartian capital Tushpa — modern-day Van city. The Urartians, who called themselves Biainili, built irrigation canals and fortresses that still stand. The most famous is the one at Van itself, carved into the cliffside, with cuneiform inscriptions from kings like Sarduri I and Menuas. Luna: So the lake was the center of the Urartian kingdom. And later, after Urartu fell, it remained a hub? Lucas: Yes. After the fall of Urartu around the 6th century BCE, the region became part of the Armenian satrapy under the Achaemenids, then the Kingdom of Armenia under the Artaxiad and Arsacid dynasties. The lake always had a special status because of its strategic location and fertile shores. It's also the source of the legend of Shamiram — the Armenian name for the Assyrian queen Semiramis — who was said to have built a magnificent palace and hanging gardens near Van. Luna: Semiramis in Armenia? I thought the Hanging Gardens were in Babylon. Lucas: That's the classical tradition. But Armenian historians like Movses Khorenatsi claimed she built her gardens on the shores of Lake Van, and even today locals point to the ruins of what they call 'Shamiram's city' near Van. It's a blend of history and myth, but it shows how the lake became a canvas for epic storytelling. Lucas: Fast forward to the medieval period. The lake became the core of the Armenian kingdom of Vaspurakan, ruled by the Artsruni dynasty. In the 10th century, King Gagik Artsruni built one of the masterpieces of Armenian architecture: the Holy Cross Cathedral on Akhtamar Island, right in the middle of Lake Van. Luna: Akhtamar — I've seen pictures of that church. It's covered in relief carvings, right? Lucas: Exactly. The cathedral is a gem of Armenian art. Its exterior is decorated with biblical scenes — Adam and Eve, Jonah and the whale, David and Goliath — but also with secular images like hunting scenes and even a portrait of Gagik himself offering a model of the church to Christ. The architect was a monk named Manuel, and the whole thing was completed in 921. It's survived earthquakes, invasions, and neglect. Lucas: But the region's story took a dark turn in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Lake Van was a major center of Armenian population. In 1915, during the Armenian genocide, the city of Van was one of the sites of fierce resistance. Thousands of Armenians defended themselves for months before being forced to evacuate. The lake became a place of massacre and displacement. Luna: That's heartbreaking. And today, the Armenian presence around Lake Van is almost entirely gone. Lucas: Almost. The Holy Cross Cathedral on Akhtamar still stands, though it was restored by the Turkish government in the 2000s and now operates as a museum. Once a year, a liturgy is held there, drawing Armenians from the diaspora. It's a fragile symbol of continuity. The lake itself remains — its deep blue waters, the ancient fortress of Van, the inscriptions of kings — a silent witness to millennia of history. Luna: It's amazing how a single place can hold so many layers: Urartian, Armenian, Persian, Ottoman... all that memory. Lucas: Exactly. And that's what we try to capture in this show: the depth of time in a single landscape. For anyone coming with us through these conversations about the Caucasus, it's moments like these that remind us why history matters — not just as facts, but as a living connection to the past. Luna: And if you're enjoying these deep dives, you can help keep them coming. We keep this show ad-free because of listener support, and every little bit helps. Lucas: Yeah, if you've been getting something out of these episodes — whether it's the story of Lake Van or the kings of Urartu — you can support us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That's buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, but it does let us keep digging into the stories that often get overlooked. Luna: Absolutely. And speaking of overlooked stories — there's another aspect of Lake Van I've always wondered about: the 'Van cat', that white cat with different-colored eyes. Is that really a thing? Lucas: It is! The Van cat is a breed native to the Lake Van region, known for its love of water and striking heterochromia — one blue eye, one amber. They've been prized for centuries, and there's even a legend that they were aboard Noah's Ark and were the first animals to leap off when the waters receded, landing on the shores of Lake Van. It's a charming footnote to an already rich history. Lucas: But let's go back to the Urartian inscriptions for a moment. One of the most impressive is the 'Horhor Inscription' of King Argishti I, carved into the cliffs near Van. It describes his military campaigns and building projects, including the construction of a canal that still waters the region today. That canal, called the 'Shamiram Suyu' — Semiramis's Water — is a direct link to that legendary queen. Luna: So the same canal that irrigates Van today might have been originally built by Urartian engineers, but attributed to Semiramis by later Armenians? Lucas: Exactly. It's a wonderful example of how history and legend entwine. The Urartians were master hydraulic engineers. They built an extensive network of canals and reservoirs, some of which are still in use. The lake itself is a natural reservoir, fed by rivers and rain, but also slightly salty — it's actually a soda lake, with high pH levels that preserve organic remains incredibly well. Archaeologists have found ancient wooden structures and even textiles in the lakebed. Luna: That must make it a treasure trove for underwater archaeology. Lucas: It is. In recent years, divers have discovered a submerged medieval cemetery, a Urartian fortress, and even a Russian warship from World War I. The lake level has fluctuated over centuries, sometimes dropping and exposing ruins, sometimes rising and covering them. It's a dynamic landscape. Lucas: The lake also had a unique role in Armenian monastic life. Several monasteries were built on its islands and shores, like the 10th-century monastery of Narekavank, where the great poet Gregory of Narek lived and wrote. His 'Book of Lamentations' is a masterpiece of mystical poetry. The monastery itself was destroyed in the 19th century, but its memory survives. Luna: Gregory of Narek — we mentioned him in an earlier episode on Armenian literature. It's amazing how many threads lead back to this lake. Lucas: It's the gravitational center of Armenian history. From the Urartian god Haldi to the Christian khachkars, from the royal capital of Vaspurakan to the sites of genocide, Lake Van holds it all. And even now, as a mostly empty landscape dotted with ruins, it remains a powerful symbol of what was lost — and what endured. Luna: Thanks for bringing it to life, Lucas. I'll never look at a map of eastern Turkey the same way again. Lucas: Glad to share it. And that's the beauty of history — it's always waiting to be rediscovered, just below the surface.