Van Lake is the historic and current heartland of the Armenian nation and civilization.

One natural waterfall in the Armenian Highlands of Eastern Turkey is the Muradiye Waterfall near Van Lake. This is a natural waterfall known to Armenians that are native to the area. The Armenian name for the region is Բերկրի or Pergri, which is mentioned in The tenth-century Byzantine text De Administrando Imperio mentions "Perkri" belonging to King Ashot I Bagratuni at the beginning of the ninth century before being turned over to an Arab ruler, Abu'l-Ward. Turks have tried to repopulate the Armenian region with nationalized citizens and have attempted to change the name to Muradiye.