Saray

Saray, which is the district of Van on the Iranian border, is the district where the Kapıköy border gate is located. It is 75 kilometers away from the center of Van. The biggest geographical feature of Saray is that it is the highest district of Turkey. It received this title with its altitude of 2100 meters. Settlements are located above the plain.

Climate of the Saray

In the Saray district of Van, which has a continental climate, winter is long and harsh. Summer months are very hot and receive little rainfall.

Saray Hotels

If you are interested in getting to know a different geography and a completely different culture, the Saray district of Van is among the places you should definitely visit. For your accommodation needs in Saray, we strongly recommend you to visit our website, HotelForex.com. You will find both the comfort you are looking for and the reasonable price in one of the Saray Hotels and other accommodation options at HotelForex.com. HotelForex.com not only offers affordable accommodation options; it also allows you to experience the privilege of bargaining with hotels.

Places to Visit and See in Saray

Yeşilalıç Castle and Open Air Temple: Yeşilalıç Castle is located in Yeşilalıç village, 36 kilometers from the Saray. It was built during the Urartian period and has survived to the present day. Yeşilalıç Castle and Temple were built between 60 and 70 meters in the north-south direction and 20 meters in the east-west direction. It is thought that Yeşilalıç Castle was built to protect the temple. There is a lot of destruction and traces of fire, especially on the outside of Yeşilalıç Castle. In Yeşilalıç Castle, there are warehouses carved into natural rock to store substances such as wine and poison, which is one of the features of the castles built by the Urartians. The cisterns around Yeşilalıç Castle and the rock paintings in a nearby cave are worth seeing.

The part that is a temple is located 100 meters east of Yeşilaliç Castle. The temple was created in the form of an open-air temple. The historical importance of the Open Air Temple, which is also a monument, comes from the fact that it was intended to be worshiped on this road, on which outpost castles of all sizes were built during the Urartian King Menua period. The Open Air Temple was built in the form of a gateway to the gods and the afterlife. In the inscription found in the temple, it is written how many sacrifices will be made for each god and why the king built this temple. At the end of the inscription, a curse is written for those who will harm this temple. Today, this inscription has been damaged by visitors, such as inscriptions engraved with nails. At a height of almost 5 meters from the Open Air Temple, there is a rock door with inscriptions written by the Urartians. Again, although it has survived to the present day as it is considered sacred, the letters of the names of the visitors are inscribed on it. From the black parts on the door, it is understood that dynamite was detonated, considering that there was something behind the door. The biggest reason for the Urartians to build this gate is their belief that gods and goddesses pass through this gate on certain days of the year. With this belief, the Urartians built doors carved into the rocks for the temples they built.

Lily Canal: Lily Canal is located 1 kilometer from Yeşilalıç Village. Again, one of the magnificent works of the Urartians, the Lily Water Canal was taken from the Pagan tea. The construction of the Lily Canal It is dated to the 7th century. The Lily Canal, which separates the two Urartian Outpost Castles, Yukarı Yeşilalıç and Lower Yeşilalıç Castles, passes under the ground up to Köyüstü Pond. The width of the Lily Canal is 4 meters and it was built quite deep. The length of the Lily Canal is 900 meters. The Lily Canal, which was built into the rocks, cannot be used today because it has been destroyed by treasure hunters. Lily Canal is the most successful and best work of Urartian water engineering.