THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2026 57 Van Citadel, or the Fortress of Van, is a massive stone fortification built atop a steep bluff in far eastern Türkiye by the kingdom of Urartu during the 9th to 7th centuries B.C. NOAH ROSE OFF-ROAD WITH THE FOREIGN SERVICE Noah E. Rose is a political officer serving in Ankara and is looking forward to his next assignment as a consular officer in Montreal. I arrived in Ankara in early 2024 for my first tour brimming with excitement and uncertainty. Joining the U.S. Foreign Service had been a childhood dream, and after a year at the Foreign Service Institute, I had left all my friends and family for this assignment. One month in, restless to see more of Türkiye, I booked a last‑ minute flight to Van—in eastern Türkiye, only an hour’s drive from the Iranian border. I reached my gate at Ankara Esenboga Airport early and observed that nearly every other passenger was dressed in unfamiliar conservative, religious attire. In Van, I asked the front desk to call a taxi. Minutes later, Osman, who would become both driver and guide, pulled up. After he made a call from the taxi, I asked, “Arapca mi konusuyorsun [Are you speaking Arabic]?” A First-Tour Foray into Eastern Türkiye BY NOAH E. ROSE Van Citadel, or the Fortress of Van, is a massive stone fortification built atop a steep bluff in far eastern Türkiye by the kingdom of Urartu during the 9th to 7th centuries B.C.
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