Bitlis

Last update September 27, 2026

Bitlis is situated in a deeply sided valley, 15 kilometres from Lake Van, at an altitude of 1,545 metres, and for many decades it had remained off the main travel routes while tourists flocked along the busy road to Van and Doğubayazıt. Nowadays this is beginning to change and it is well worth the change. Bitlis Castle stands out above the surrounding area having been constructed in 330 BCE by a general serving under Alexander the Great; the walls are seven metres thick and the castle has a circumference of 2,800 metres. When you stroll through the old streets beneath the castle you will come across stone houses concealed behind high walls, the inside of which opens out into courtyards and gardens that can be seen from the outside.

If you’re going to do anything at all, get some büryan for lunch. This dish of lamb that is baked in a pit and served on flatbread is a local specialty and should be eaten early in the morning; the method has been passed down through the generations. The locals will show you the place called Meşhur Bitlis Büryancısı, at which you can see the real pit in which the lamb is cooked together with the juices that have collected below it. After that have the Bitlis kibbeh and, if you’re there in the evening, finish off the meal with an arafane night.

It only takes a short drive to reach Tatvan, where Lake Van spreads out along a shoreline that the local people believe is beneficial for skin problems because of the soda in it. Have a cup of tea by the lake and then return to see the İhlasiye Madrasa and the El Aman Caravanserai, the largest of its type in Anatolia, which is located at the old junction of the Caravan Road, the Pilgrim’s Road and the Silk Road. Allow yourself a second day to visit Nemrut Volcano and its crater lake, as a ski resort is located there in winter with views of Lake Van on one side and of the crater on the other.

Bitlis offers a greater reward for patience than most other places in Turkey. You don’t pass it quickly when making visits to other, larger destinations. Spend two days there, eat properly, and let the isolation which had kept it so quiet take effect.