The church on the island of Akdamar, located in Van’s central Gevaş district, has great significance for the Armenian Christians. Services had been held in the church until the Turkish state issued a ban four years ago. The church on the island was built in the name of the Holy Cross on behalf of King Vaspurakan I between 915-921. In the south and southwest of the church is a historic Armenian cemetery. The tombstones decorated with historical motifs are in ruinous condition. Most of the tombstones are broken and scattered on the ground.

Cemetery converted into picnic area

The income from admission to Akdamar goes to the state. On the island there is a private security service, which does not do anything against the use of the cemetery as a picnic area. On the island of Akdamar, which carries Armenian, Byzantine and Kurdish legacies into the present, there are the cemetery and the church as well as the historic settlement, where about 300 monks lived until the end of the 19th century. Following the genocide of the Armenian population in 1915, the island was depopulated. The church and cemetery are among the brightest buildings in Armenian architecture.

The cemetery deliberately not protected

The Armenian cemetery, one of the most important legacies of Armenian architecture, has now been de facto converted into a picnic area by the state. Most of the gravestones in the cemetery, which have been well preserved until recently, are broken and overturned. There are no measures taken to protect the area around the cemetery, and the island's historical artifacts are seriously damaged. The cemetery is practically disappearing. Visitors who want to show respect for the cemetery repeatedly express their shock at the destruction and demand that the cemetery be placed under protection.