Van fortress was built at the command of the ruler of Urartu king Sarduri First on the shores of lake van in the ninth century BC. A long time ago at the foot of the fortress were blossoming ancient city of van (Tushpa), which was flooded due to rising water level in the lake. Also come to the city in decline helped the ruling in various periods of time, Armenians, Seljuks and the Ottomans, so not very many monuments of antiquity came to contemporaries.

The best preserved among the extant ruins, can be called the mosque of the thirteenth century Kyzyl Jami, or Red mosque, as well as Ulu Camii or Great Mosque. Five kilometres away is toprakkale, which at the time of king Rasputina was the capital of Urartu.

Ancient artefacts discovered by archaeologists in the excavations indicate a high level of civilization in the city of van. The most valuable works are exhibited in the archaeological Museum of Ankara, the rest in the local archaeological Museum.

On the West side of the entrance to the fortress is situated the tower of sardur. There are cuneiform epitaph, written by sardur in Assyrian language. Rising on the North-Western corner of the fortress, you can see on the tombstone of a king of Urartu Argishti I and wall cuneiform. In the southern part of the fortress there are the rooms-the tombs of the kings of Urartu.

On top of the fortress is the surface of the rock, a wasteland with sparse rubble of the crumbling fortress walls and towers. Also, the top is visible to Abdurrahman Gazi tomb is Holy, to worship the ashes which the pilgrims come to van. To the right of the castle there is a small mosque.

On the South wall of the cliff is a large number of steps, which terminated at the halfway point. Similar steps can be seen in the images of van rocks of the early nineteenth century. Most likely, they connected the fortress to the city directly, because otherwise to get the rock out of the city, had to walk around and take advantage of more gentle slope.

In the lower part of the castle offers a magnificent view of the dead city. The king of Urartu and his entourage lived in the fortress and the city itself is at the bottom. But what has survived, it is not Tushpa, and the shattered remnants of the Armenian city located where Tushpa. A large dead wasteland where time has stopped, gives tourists a strong impression.

Right below the fortress dazzling white ribbon curls newly rebuilt wall. Straight ahead out the road to the city center.