Orta ve Yeniçağda Van Gölü’nde Gemi Yapımı, Taşımacılık ve Ticaret
Shipbuilding, Transportation and Trade in Van Lake During Medieval and Early Modern Era

Summary/Abstract: Lake Van is the largest lake in Anatolia in terms of surface area. Due to its size, Lake Van is historically referred to as sea. With this feature, it has a positive impact on the military and economic life of the region with respect to maritime transport and marine products. In the medieval and early modern era, shipyards were built in Ahlat and Van to conduct navigation in the lake. The settlements on the lake shore have harbors since ancient times. Ahlat, Van and Tatvan are important port cities; and there are small harbors in Ercis, Adilcevaz and Vastan. Various shipping and commercial activities were carried out in these zones. Shipbuilding and navigation in Lake Van were conducted under the state control. In addition to the state-owned ships used in the lake, small-scale vessels were built by the local population with the permission of the state. The city of Van is located at the intersection of the Iranian roads. The traders frequenting the region used ships navigating between Van and Tatvan. Traveling by boat or ship from Tatvan to Van took less time and was relatively safer under favorable weather conditions. For this reason, the maritime route has been actively used for the grain delivery, a substantial business for the Ottoman army on Eastern expeditions. Minerals mined in some centers around Lake Van were transferred to workshops by ships while the materials required for casting cannonballs (darbzen) were transported to the foundry of Van Castle by ships. Raw materials used in the production of gunpowder were delivered to the mills through lake. The firewood required by the city of Van was also collected from the surrounding fields and often brought to the town via the lake. In the middle ages and early modern times, the most important commercial good in Lake Van is fish. Fish caught in Bendimâhî Stream was salted and exported to neighboring areas. Borax obtained from lagoons around the lake is another important product across the region. Textile products, yellow arsenic sulfide, arsenic, rock salt and honey also appeared as the important commercial goods in the region.

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