Gürpınar

With an area of 4700 km2 the Gürpınar district of Van province is the largest district (ilçe) of Turkey. In the northwest of the district a long fertile plain  stretches towards Lake Van. This valley, the so-called "Hayotsdzor" ("Valley of the the Armenians"), was for thousands of years home to agricultural communities. Here the Urartian citadel of Çavuştepe is located, like that of Van, on a remarkable long rock rising  from the middle of the plain. The rest of the Gürpınar district consists largely of treeless mountains and  is famous for its mountain pastures, particularly those in the Norduz area, bordering on Hakkari province.

Gürpınar is home to an interesting variety of historical monuments: Castles, Armenian monasteries, and in Norduz  - the mysterious "houses of the giants", (pre?) historic structures built with large stones.