Located in Van Lake Basin, Gevas has intricate historical phases. In addition, the traces of these intricate phases are not observed in the formation and embodiment of the cultural assets in the region. It is seen that such activities follow a path parallel to political stability. In the region where the first building began with Urartians, there was no development in this way for a long time after the Urartians. In the 10th century, when the Vaspurakan Vasal Armenian Kingdom was established, a significant reconstruction of the city was carried out and many important monasteries and structures have been created with Akdamar Church. Most of the important Christian period buildings that survived until today belongs to the kingdom that was founded in the 10th century and ended in 11th century. However, until the 19th century, construction activities continued. All of the buildings dating back to the Christian period are religious buildings built between the 10th and 19th centuries. One of them is Akdamar Monastery. It is an important building in terms of architecture and decoration as well as tourism of region. Another element that constitutes the cultural fabric is the Islamic period. Almost all of them belong to the 14th century and were formed during the Irisan Beyleri period, which was established under the Ilkhans. All of the samples except a mosque are grave structures. With more than 600 gravestones in the Heşet cemetery, it is the largest cemetery in the region after Ahlat. Halime Hatun Dome in the Cemetery is a typical example of the Anatolian cluster architecture with its polygonal trunk cone and decoration. With its rich and elegant workmanship, the cluster is the symbol of Gevaş. All of the works reflect the characteristics of the period in terms of style in general.
The cultural assets of Gevaş have been studied at different times. However, the current situation of Selçuklu and Beyler Cemetery today reveals that more extensive studies are needed. |