In its report on the six attractions away from the tourist hotspots in Turkey, the website of the American CNN television also covered the ancient Armenian Surb Kach (Holy Cross) Church on Akhtamar Island on Lake Van.  

“So many visitors to Turkey see little more than the beautiful but crowded Mediterranean coast or the great mosques and palaces of Istanbul.

“But the country is huge, and there are many more attractions away from the tourist hotspots,” the article notes, in particular.

As for Lake Van, the report runs as follows:

“Up to 400 meters deep and almost 120 kilometers across, Lake Van is a true inland sea.

“With no outlet, its waters are saturated with mineral salts that turn the shallows milky blue.

“More than a thousand years ago, the lake was part of the kingdom of Armenia.

“The ancient Armenian Surb Kach (Holy Cross) church on Akdamar [Akhtamar, in Armenian] Island, three kilometers from the lake shore, has remarkable frescoes and carvings, which have recently been restored.”