Van - Ulu Cami

The Grand Mosque in Van, praised by Evliya Celebi in the 17th century, is situated some way to the west almost directly beneath the citadel's rock wall. It was probably built in the 11th or 12th century but was rebuilt between 1389 and 1400. The dome collapsed during an earthquake in 1648 and the mosque was further damaged between 1915 and 1917 during the Russian occupation. Despite some initial work to clear away the rubble at the beginning of the 1970s, only the shell and a part of the minaret remain of the once impressively decorated prayer room. The Seljuk Kiliç Arslan built a 1000-step stairway leading up to the citadel 90m/295ft higher up but this is now closed.