Van

Van
/van/; for 1, 2 also Turk. /vahn/, n.
1. Lake, a salt lake in E Turkey. 1454 sq. mi. (3766 sq. km).
2. a town on this lake. 88,597.
3. a male given name.

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I
City (pop., 1997: 226,965), eastern Turkey, on the eastern shore of Lake Van.

The ruins of stone buildings there date from the 8th century BC, when it was the chief centre of the kingdom of Urartu. After the fall of Nineveh (612 BC), it was occupied in succession by the Medes, the kings of Pontus, Arabs (7th century AD), and Armenians (8th century AD). It fell to the Seljūq dynasty after 1071 AD and to the Ottoman Empire in 1543. Russian forces held it (1915–17) during World War I. It has a large Kurdish population. It once had a large Armenian population that was brutally expelled following the war (see Armenian massacres). Van is a shipping point for hides, grains, fruits, and vegetables.
II
(as used in expressions)
Van Diemen's Land
Beethoven Ludwig van
Derek Niven van den Bogaerde
Jerome van Aken
Jeroen van Aken
Brooks Van Wyck
Cliburn Van
Diemen Anthony van
Doesburg Theo van
Eyck Jan van
Goes Hugo van der
Gogh Vincent Willem van
Goyen Jan Josephszoon van
Helmont Jan Baptista van
Edda van Heemstra Hepburn Ruston
Johan Maurits van Nassau
Leeuwenhoek Antonie van
Lucas Huyghszoon van Leyden
Mander Karel van
Meegeren Han van
Henricus Antonius van Meegeren
Mies van der Rohe Ludwig
Oldenbarnevelt Johan van
Ostade Adriaen van
Phan Van San
Quine Willard Van Orman
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn
Ruisdael Jacob Isaakszoon van
Ruysdael Salomon van
Scorel Jan van
Isabella Van Wagener
Van Buren Martin
Van Cortlandt Stephanus
Van de Graaff Robert Jemison
van der Waals Johannes Diederik
Van Der Zee James Augustus Joseph
Van Doren Carl Clinton and Mark
Van Dyck Sir Anthony
Van Dyke Dick
Richard Wayne Van Dyke
Van Heusen Jimmy
Van Lake
Velde Henri van de
Velde Willem van de the Elder
Andries van Wesel
Vondel Joost van den
Weyden Rogier van der
Jan van Wynkyn
Honthorst Gerrit van
Maurits prince van Oranje count van Nassau

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Turkey
 city, eastern Turkey. It lies on the eastern shore of Lake Van at an altitude of about 5,750 feet (1,750 metres). The city lies in an oasis at the foot of a hill crowned by an ancient ruined citadel. A ruined stone building near the foot of the rocky spur bears cuneiform inscriptions dating from the 8th and 7th centuries BC, when Van was the chief centre of the Urartu Kingdom. After the fall of Nineveh (612 BC) it was occupied in succession by the Medes, Achaemenian Persians, and the kings of Pontus. Rock inscriptions on the citadel hill include one in Old Persian carved on the orders of the Achaemenian king Xerxes I (early 5th century BC). Van was included in the kingdom established by King Tigranes I in the 1st century BC. The Romans and the Sāsānids of Persia fought over it for a time; it became a tributary state to the Arabs in the 7th century; and it prospered under the Armenian Bagratid dynasty in the 8th century. The region fell to the Seljuq Turks after their victory over Byzantium (1071) and was later annexed to the Ottoman Empire in 1543. Russian forces occupied the city from 1915 to 1917 during World War I.

      The mound of Toprakkale, 3 miles (5 km) north of the modern city, is the site of an excavated ancient Urartian city dating from the 8th century BC. Van's local museum contains numerous specimens of Urartian inscriptions and pottery found in the vicinity. Van's trade is mainly in regional products such as skins, grains, fruits, and vegetables. Lake Van (Van, Lake), the largest body of water in Turkey, is the focus of a growing tourist trade, and there are air services from Ankara and Istanbul.

      The region in which Van is situated is a stock-raising area, specializing in horses; grains, fruits, and vegetables are grown. The region has a large Kurdish population; the Armenian section of the population, which had nationalist aspirations, was deported by government order and was subsequently massacred during World War I. Pop. (2000) city, 284,464.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Synonyms:
(of an army or a fleet), /


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  • VAN — steht für: das olympische Länderkürzel für Vanuatu Vereinigte Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Naziverfolgten Bund der Antifaschisten, Hamburg. Landesorganisation der VVN. Value Added Network, ein Datennetz mit Mehrwertdienstangebot Flughafen Ferit Melen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • van — VAN, Ă, vani, e, adj. (livr.) Zadarnic, inutil, fără rost. ♢ loc. adv. În van = în zadar, degeaba. ♦ Neîntemeiat; iluzoriu. – Din lat. vanus, it. vano. Trimis de bogdanrsb, 11.08.2002. Sursa: DEX 98  VAN adj. 1 …   Dicționar Român

  • van — van1 [van] n. [abbrev. < VANGUARD] short for VANGUARD van2 [van] n. [ME vanne < MFr van < L vannus, van, FAN1] 1. Archaic a winnowing machine 2 …   English World dictionary

  • Van — puede referirse a: VAN, Valor Actual Neto. Los Vanir, dioses escandinavos. Van (o furgoneta), medio de transporte de pasajeros, o en particular, remolque para caballos. Abreviatura científica para el botánico V.M. Van 1950 Lugares de Turquía La… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Van — Van, n. [L. vannus a van, or fan for winnowing grain: cf. F. van. Cf. {Fan}, {Van} a wing {Winnow}.] [1913 Webster] 1. A fan or other contrivance, as a sieve, for winnowing grain. [1913 Webster] 2. [OF. vanne, F. vanneau beam feather (cf. It.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • van — (van) s. m. 1°   Instrument d osier pour séparer la paille et l ordure d avec le bon grain. •   Il prendra le van en main, et il nettoiera son aire, SACI Bible, Évang. St Luc, III, 17. •   Arcadiens, qu est devenu le temps où les Atrides étaient… …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • van — S3 [væn] n [Date: 1800 1900; Origin: caravan] 1.) a vehicle used especially for carrying goods, which is smaller than a ↑truck and has a roof and usually no windows at the sides ▪ a delivery van ▪ a van driver 2.) AmE a large box like car that… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Van — Van, n. [Abbrev. fr. vanguard.] The front of an army; the first line or leading column; also, the front line or foremost division of a fleet, either in sailing or in battle. [1913 Webster] Standards and gonfalons, twixt van and rear, Stream in… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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