Location: Bitlis
Top Things to do in Bitlis
What to do and see in Bitlis, Turkey: The Best Places and Tips
Bitlis (Armenian: Բաղեշ Baghesh/Paghesh; Kurdish: Bidlîs; Classical Syriac: ܒܝܬ ܕܠܝܣ Beṯ Dlis; Ottoman Turkish: بتليس; Medieval Greek: Βαλαλης Balales) is a city in eastern Turkey and the capital of Bitlis Province. The city is located at an elevation of 1,545 metres, 15 km from Lake Van, in the steep-sided valley of the Bitlis River, a tributary of the Tigris. The local economy is mainly based on agricultural products which include fruits, grain and tobacco. Industry is fairly limited, and deals mainly with leatherworking, manufacture of tobacco products as well as weaving and dyeing of coarse cloth. Bitlis is connected to other urban centres by road, including Tatvan on Lake Van, 25 km to the northeast, and the cities of Muş (Mush), 100 km northwest, and Diyarbakır, 200 km to the west. The climate of Bitlis can be harsh, with long winters and heavy snowfalls. Summers are hot, and often humid.
Restaurants in Bitlis
1. Nemrut Krater Lake
Overall Ratings
5 based on 34 reviews
Reviewed By Bardangas - Athens
A driving challenge in a windy crater of a polygenic stratovolcano on the edges of Lake Van descending spiral reminiscent of a surface copper mine. The road can be bad and a 4x4 suv may be useful but still. There are climbing, trekking, observational and other opportunities (collecting berries e.g). There are no facilities residential or other. It is essentially an 'I meet nature' project unmediated. Should you be a nature aficionado, this is the largest crater lake in Europe offering hot Springs and swimming when in season an fabulous peripheral decent but in heavy winter. Expand your trip including it.
2. Ahlat Mezar Taslari
Overall Ratings
5 based on 18 reviews
Reviewed By Insighttravel - Kas
The ancient cemetery of Ahlat in Eastern Turkey near lake Van is a must-see if you are in the area. There were no tour buses at the time of visit in April 2014 and we had the place completely to ourselves. A new museum is being built there. The area is vast, the tombstones are incredibly different with interesting designs and arabic scripts, turles cavorting in the ancient graveyard. See also the mausoleums of the area, which are unique! Off the beaten path but well worth it.
3. Bitlis Ethnography Museum
Overall Ratings
5 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By Muhsin E
This place has a collection of tools used in daily lives of local people. There are also carpets and kilims.
4. El Aman Han
Overall Ratings
4 based on 3 reviews
Reviewed By Ahlatli
Mimari olarak harika yol kenarında olması bu yapının fazla bilinmemesine sebeb oluyor bir iş kahvaltısı orada verildiğinde gittim ve çok beğendim daha iyi değerlendirilebilir
5. The khatchkar monuments at Por
Overall Ratings
3 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By BobPraz - Toronto, Canada
I learned of this otherwise unknown site in the Rough Guide for Turkey. Khatchkars (or khachkar, "cross-stone" in Armenian) are monumental medieval Armenian gravestones or memorial stones, and there are few examples of them left in Turkey. The ones found in this village, in the midst of a beautiful rural valley, are apparently among the most impressive ones in Turkey but, sadly, in their current state they are probably not worth the trouble of finding them unless you're keenly interested in Armenian ruins and/or have time to spare in the region. For any future seekers, here are what details I can offer from my own experience finding them.
Description:
The gravestones are apparently dated to the late 15th to early 16th centuries (there's some info here: virtualani.org/por/index.htm). They are next to an old Armenian stone church or chapel, now disused or used as a barn, located in the middle of a tiny rural Kurdish village sometimes referred to as Por but known in Turkish as Değirmenaltı (for non-Turkish speakers, this is pronounced, as best as I can approximate it, as "deh-eer-meh-nawl-tuh"). One set of khatchkars has been incorporated into a crude stone wall, while a recent house has been built right in front of another set of larger ones, forcing you to get up close to see their facades. Another khachkar is incorporated into the exterior back wall of the chapel. Apart from their awkward situation, most of them are in physically good condition, though a few are broken.
Transport:
To get here, you can ask a taxi in Bitlis to bring you to Değirmenaltı and back, with waiting time. Unfortunately I can't remember the cost for the taxi but it must have been between 30-50 Turkish Lira (including the return trip); in any case the taxi driver was very honest with me so I wouldn't worry much about being overcharged.
Directions:
The village is some 8-10 km from downtown Bitlis, roughly a 20-minute drive, on a rural road reached by turning east off the main Tatvan-Bitlis road, on the northern outskirts of Bitlis. The village itself is very rural, with very basic houses, no paved streets, etc. The khachkars are in the village centre; if you're coming from Bitlis, keep an eye open on your left for what should be a very old-looking stone building (the chapel), most likely just uphill from the "street" you're driving on. Local children often hang around it (and may be able to help you find it).
Don't expect anything other than Turkish or Kurdish to be spoken, so it may be useful to learn the Turkish words for "church", "tombstones", etc in order to say what you're looking for. Note also that there is another ruined Armenian stone church a little further east past the village and locals may direct you to this one at first; it is a pretty ruin out in the open fields, but it's not the same site.
