Tatvan (Kurdish: Tetwan;[2] Armenian: Դատվան, romanized: Datvan) is a city on the western shore of Lake Van, in Bitlis Province in eastern Turkey.

[5] The citadel of Eski Tatvan possibly dates back to the Urartian period.

Sinclair wrote that the Denizcilik Bankası (Shipping Company) ran a good hotel on the south side of town, which was often full.

[8] It is connected eastwards to Van, 100 km away, and westwards to the rest of Turkey, by State Road D300.

This would actually create an unbroken rail link between Europe and the Indian subcontinent, as Van is effectively the western terminus of the Iranian railway network.