Van

Van (vän), city (1990 pop. 153,525), capital of Van prov., E Turkey, near the eastern shore of Lake Van, at an altitude of 5,659 ft (1,725 m). It is the trade center for a fruit- and grain-growing region. Van was the cradle of an ancient Armenian civilization. It was the capital of the old Vannic kingdom of Urartu or Ararat. The city fell to the Seljuk Turks (1071) and to the Ottoman Turks in 1543. Near the city is the mound of Toprakkale where excavations in the 19th cent. uncovered the remains of the town of Urartu. Many tablets with so-called Vannic inscriptions relating to early Armenian history were found. In 1939 archaeologists discovered fortifications and various materials dating from the 8th cent. B.C. Many of the Armenians living in the region were massacred by the Turks in 1895.

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Van

City (pop., 1997: 226,965), eastern Turkey, on the eastern shore of Lake Van. The ruins of stone buildings there date from the 8th century BC, when it was the chief centre of the kingdom of Urartu. After the fall of Nineveh (612 BC), it was occupied in succession by the Medes, the kings of Pontus, Arabs (7th century AD), and Armenians (8th century AD). It fell to the Seljuq dynasty after 1071 AD and to the Ottoman Empire in 1543. Russian forces held it (1915–17) during World War I. It has a large Kurdish population. It once had a large Armenian population that was brutally expelled following the war (see Armenian massacres). Van is a shipping point for hides, grains, fruits, and vegetables.

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van

1. a covered motor vehicle for transporting goods, etc., by road

2. Brit a closed railway wagon in which the guard travels, for transporting goods, mail, etc.

3. Brit See delivery van

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Van

1. a city in E Turkey, on Lake Van. Pop.: 377 000 (2005 est.)

2. Lake. a salt lake in E Turkey, at an altitude of 1650 m (5400 ft.): fed by melting snow and glaciers. Area: 3737 sq. km (1433 sq. miles)

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van [van]

(mining engineering)

A test of the value of an ore, made by washing (vanning) a small quantity, after powdering it, on the point of a shovel.

To separate, as ore from veinstone, by washing it on the point of a shovel.

A shovel used in ore dressing.

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VAN - Value Added Network

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Van 

a city in eastern Turkey and administrative center of the vilayet of Van; located near the western shore of Lake Van. Population, 31,000 (1965). Trading center of an agricultural district (wheat). Cement-making and flour-milling industries are found in Van.

From the ninth to the sixth century B.C. the capital of the state of Urartu-Turuspa was located on the site of Van. Turuspa was known as Van from the sixth century B.C. In ancient Armenia under Tigranes II (first century B.C.), Van was a town of considerable importance. In 364 A.D. it was severely damaged by the troops of the Sassanian king Sapor II. It again became an important town in the tenth century as part of the Vaspuragan Kingdom. In 1022 it was seized by Byzantium and then by the Seljuks. In the second half of the 14th century it was destroyed twice by the troops of Timur. In the 17th century the city was seized by the Turks. In 1895-96 under Sultan Abdul-Hamid II the population of Van was subjected to a cruel pogrom, during which thousands of Armenians were slaughtered. During World War I (1914-18) the Armenian population was evicted and annihilated by the Turkish authorities.

B. N. ARAKELYAN

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Van 

a lake in Turkey located in the Armenian Highlands at an altitude of 1,720 m. Area, approximately 3,700 sq km; depth, more than 145 m.

The origin of the lake bed is basically tectonic, but the lake’s waters were also dammed up by the products of eruptions of the Siukhan and Nemrut volcanoes, which formed the northern and western shores. The lake is without drainage; it softens to a degree the climate of the neighboring mountains. The water of Van Lake is saline (19.1 parts per thousand). The populace living along its shores engages in fishing and salt extraction. The lake is navigable.