The name of Bingöl means "a thousand lakes", a name given to it because of the many glacier lakes in the surrounding mountains. In the city stand the remains of a medieval fortress. Bingöl-Yolçati (Kurucadag) Ski Center is 20 km to the west.
Mus, a little out of the way for most tourist expeditions, was founded in the sixth century. Many of the city's monuments, including the remains of a citadel and the Aslanhane Caravanserai, are in poor condition. The Seljuk mosques of Alaeddin Pasa and Haci Seref, however, are certainly worth a detour. Korkuteli is famous for its kilim weaving and Siirt blankets; it is definitely worth seeing.
The lively city of Bitlis, an important center of tobacco production, stands in the middle of a green oasis. The city's architecture uses the local dark stone, and the stone monuments include the Serefhan Medrese, the 12th-century Ulu Mosque, the Seljuk Gökmeydani Mosque and the Ottoman Serefiye Mosque.
The road to remote Hakkari, 203 km southeast of Van, takes you through some of Turkey's most magnificent scenery: the Cilo-Sat Mountains and the Zap Valley. A medieval fortress dominates the city, which is at an altitude of 1,748 meters.
Van (170 km east of Bitlis), the ancient Urartian capital of Tuspa, tempts visitors with its location on the eastern shore of the lake. This remote but important city is set in a verdant oasis at the foot of a rocky peak. An imposing 9th-century B.C. citadel overlooks the new and the old parts of town. Steps carved in the rock lead to the Urartian fortress. Lake Van, the largest lake in Turkey is at an altitude of 1,720 meters, and is ringed by beautiful mountains.