Some 200,000 tourists visited in 2024 the famous Van’s Cat Village (Van Kedi Villası), a centre dedicated to the breeding and care of this unique cat breed, characterised by its double-coloured eyes (blue and amber), its predominantly white coat, its love of swimming and its special affinity with humans.
Created in 1992 to protect the genetics, morphology and physiological characteristics of this feline breed, this centre located in the Turkey’s province of Van – in the region of Eastern Anatolia – is also visited by tourists from both Turkey and other countries, who come here interested in this unique breed, and where they can even arrange the adoption of a cat born in its facilities.
‘This is a place where both domestic and foreign tourists visiting Van come. The number of visitors is growing. This year, about 100,000 local tourists, 70,000 students and about 30,000 foreign tourists have visited us. Especially during the holidays, families come with their children to see the cats and interact with them,’ Mehmet Atar Bayır, who is responsible for the centre’s animals, told DHA news agency.
‘We came from Izmir. We wanted to see Van’s cats,’ said Ümmühan Deniz, one of the Turkish tourists visiting this unique “cat village”. ‘We liked Van very much, we love Van’s cats too, they are very cute. They are all beautiful and charming’, the woman said.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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