Edremit, Van

Edremit (Kurdish: Artemêt; Armenian: Արտամէտ, romanized: Artamet)[2] is a municipality and district of Van Province, Turkey.

[7] According to another interpretation, based on the form Artamat, the name means 'Artashes came', as if the ending is the root of the Persian word āmadan 'to come'.

The form Edremit appears as early as the 17th century, in the work of the Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi.

[7] In the time of the Urartian Kingdom, the Menua Canal was built through the modern-day Edremit district[10] and passes through the town itself.

Artamet grew significantly under the Artsruni-ruled Kingdom of Vaspurakan, growing into a city; Tadevos Hakobyan estimates its population at that time at over 10,000.

[7] Prior to World War I, Edremit was still sometimes called a city or rural town, but it was, at that point, a relatively small settlement.

[7] The Menua Canal[6] (alternatively, the road connecting Van and Gevaş)[7] divided the Armenian and Turkish parts of the settlement.

[7] The events of Artamet in 1915 are described in the book Four Years Beneath the Crescent by Venezuelan writer and soldier Rafael de Nogales.

[18] Historical landmarks in Edremit city and its vicinity include the remains of an ancient fortress, several churches, monasteries and shrines, various buildings, and Urartian cuneiform inscriptions,[7] namely those of the Menua Canal.

The Surb Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God) Church, facing Lake Van, was particularly prominent with its elevated position in the former Armenian part of the town.

[9] Today, many teahouses and restaurants exist in Edremit, which is a popular destination for residents of Van seeking to leave the city during the hot summers.

Districts of Van
Districts of Van