İpekyolu
İpekyolu is a district of the Van Province of Turkey. It became a district as a result of the division of the central district of Van into two with the law numbered 6360, which was accepted in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on November 11, 2012. İpekyolu is the largest district of Van in terms of population. It is the commercial center of Van. During the Ottoman period, it was connected to the province of Van. Circassian castle officials lived in the castle. The people lived in stone houses on the coast on the west side of the castle. Although Van houses have similarities with classical eastern architecture, they are separated from them by underground shelters. The best examples of Van houses can be seen in Akköprü and Alipaşa. Its indigenous population consists of Turks, Western Armenians, and Kurds from the Karakoyunlu. Van Castle, the old city of Van is in this district. The first settlers of the district are the Hurrians. After being under the domination of Urartu for many years, the district passed to the Armenian Kingdom. The first Turkish settlers came to the district in 1071 under the influence of the Turkish incursions into the region. Most of the district lived under the authority of Polatoğulları during the Ottoman period. The majority of Turkish people migrated to cities such as Diyarbakır and Şanlıurfa during the 1915 Events.
