Country Turkey Area 4,130 km² Province Van Province | Post code 65900 Local time Monday 3:51 AM | |
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Website www.van-gurpinar.bel.tr Weather 4°C, Wind N at 10 km/h, 62% Humidity | ||
Gürpınar (Kurdish: Payîzava) is a district of Van Province and 20 km (12 mi) south of the provincial capital Van. With an area of 4,700 km2, Gürpınar is the largest district of Turkey. It has 72 villages and several places of historical interest. Much of the residents of this area speak Kurmanci, the most commonly spoken dialect of the Kurdish language.
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Map of G%C3%BCrp%C4%B1nar%2FVan, Turkey
Name
The area's old name and Armenian name was "Hayots-tzor" (Armenian: Հայոց Ձոր, meaning Valley of the Armenians). Its Kurdish name is "Payizava".
History
In Armenian mythology, Hayots Dzor is the valley where the Armenian progenitor Hayk defeated the army of the invading Assyrian king Bel and constructed a fortress (Haykaberd) nearby.
In the Middle Ages, the area was the location of the Armenian kingdom of Vaspurakan, ruled by the Artsruni House of Armenian kings.