Turkish Van History Frinton on Sea, Essex

Lake Van is a salt water lake in east Anatoli, at a height of 1720 ms above sea level it receives a few short streams but has no outlet. 

The size of this lake is 3740 km2 and the lake is surrounded by high volcanos. 

It is very cold and wet in winter and in the summer very warm and arid.                                 

Based on historical and anecdotal information available, it is believed that the Turkish Van cat originated here.                                                                                                                                    

The breed was first "discovered" in the 1950s by a pair of well-known English photographers, Sonia Holliday and Laura Lushington, who first brought the Turkish Van to the attention of English cat fanciers!                                                                                                                           

The Lake has a volcanic origin: At some time during the Pleistocene Epoch (10,000 to about 2,000,000 years ago), huge lava flows from the Nemrut and Sipan volcano extended for nearly 60 km across the southwestern end of the basin, blocking westward drainage to the Murat River and thereby transforming the depression into a lake basin without outlet. 
That is why its waters are unusually rich in sodium carbonate and other salts extracted by evaporation and used as detergents, the only surviving fish in the water is the herring.
Due to the annual inflow, higher than evaporation, the lake level continues to rise: several peninsulas have become islands during the 19th and 20th centuries. In the 1986-1995 time period a dramatic 2.16 m rise in water level occurred.
Originally there was dense woodland along the shores of the lake but there is little left now. The only remains of ancient woods are in a very small region on the south western shore.

Centre-right: the almost 3000 year old archaeological site of Van. South-west of it: the four islets of Akdamar, Carpanak, Gadir (Yaka) and Kus. Top left, on the western coast: Ahlat and its ruins.
Original Turkish Van cats can still be found in the area that belonged to Armenia in ancient times; this area reaches from Turkey to Iran, Iraq and the present Armenia.                   

Archeological evidence hints that domestic cats were known in Turkey as long as 7000 years ago. Excavations by the British Archaeological Institute uncovered small Neolithic figures of women holding or playing with cats.                                                                                           

These terracotta statuettes are thought to be the oldest representations of pet cats. But even so the Turkish Van probably existed long before then and probably is one of the oldest races in the world.                                                                                                                                             

A white longhaired cat with two spots on the head and a coloured tail was seen on a Roman shield. This shield dates from 75-387 BC when Armenia was occupied by the Romans. This battle armour is in the Louvre in Paris.