27 Oct 2012
As we continued further east with our tour group we stopped near Silvan to photograph this famous pointed arched stone bridge which was built about 1146. The Malidabi Bridge spans the Batman River with the longest span at 38.6m (127 ft) and it is 19m (62 ft) high and 7m (23 ft) wide. It is unusual because the approaches rise from ground level to meet the central span, which is the pointed arch high over the deepest part of the river.
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| Malabadi Bridge |
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Damn near the Malabadi Bridge
We enjoyed sharing some food with this lovely Turkish family that had stopped for breakfast and insisted all 19 of us on the tour sampled their food. How generous! All 8 of them were travelling in one car!
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Breakfast Time Turkish Style!
After breakfast we continued to travel around the edge of Lake Van towards our next stop. Lake Van is the largest lake in Turkey
and the second largest in the Middle East. The lake is located in Eastern Anatolia near the border of Iran. It
covers an area of 1,434 square miles (3,713 square km) and is more than 74
miles (119 km) across at its widest point and is thought to be up to 400m (1312ft)
deep. It is also highly alkaline and was formed when a volcano blocked it’s
natural outflow.
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Lake Van
At our Lunch stop we were entertained as this gorgeous mum and her puppies vied for Mary's attention.
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This Mum and her pups loved Mary!
After lunch we travelled by ferry on Lake Van to Akadmar Island to visit the exquisite 10th century Armenian Catherdral Church also known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Cross. It was built by the order of Vaspurakan King Gagik 1 from 915-921 in the form of a 4 leaf clover and cruciform in plan with an inner dome and a conical roof. The exterior has a remarkable series of bas-relief carvings and the interior has the remains of splendid friezes with biblical scenes It was in use from 1116 to 1895. Today the Turkish official have called it a museum. It is still extremely beautiful and well worth the visit.
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| Ferry with Akdamar Island in the Distance |
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| Church of the Holy Cross seen from the Ferry |
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| Exquisite Exterior |
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| Some of the Bas-relief Carvings |
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Interior Friezes
Fran and Freize
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Church of the Holy Cross
Some of the Ruins Around the Church
We thoroughly enjoyed this part of our trip and would recommend it for anyone who is in the Van area.
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