TRENDEAtlas of the Sultans · Cities

When did Van become Ottoman?

Today: Turkey

371years under Ottoman rule

Van came under Ottoman rule in 1548; it remained an Ottoman city until the end of the empire. It changed hands in between; there are 2 separate Ottoman periods.

Van
1300140015001600170018001900
1548–1915 · 367 years1918–until 1922 · 4 years

Chronology

  1. 1534
    Note

    During the campaign of the Two Iraqs the keys of Van fortress were handed to İbrahim Pasha, but it later reverted to the Safavids.

    Sultan: Suleiman I
  2. 1548
    Became Ottoman

    On his second Persian campaign Süleyman the Magnificent marched from Tabriz to Van and took the fortress.

    Sultan: Suleiman I
  3. 1915
    Left Ottoman rule

    In the First World War the city came under Russian occupation; old Van was burned and destroyed.

    Sultan: Mehmed V
  4. 1918
    Became Ottoman

    Van was liberated on 2 April 1918; the new city was built 7 km from the old one.

    Sultan: Mehmed V

How the total is counted: years of actual Ottoman rule are added up. Temporary occupations shorter than a year (that were reversed) are not subtracted; they appear as notes in the chronology.

In the atlas

On the atlas map the city lies in the region “Diyarbakır–Van–Urfa”. Map colours work at region level, so the city's own dates may differ from the region's by a few years.

Open the map in 1548

Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “VAN” (Turkish); text written for the atlas.