Etymology
The origin and meaning of the island's name is based on an old Armenian legend. According to the tale, an Armenian princess named Tamar lived on the island and was in love with a commoner. This boy would swim from the mainland to the island each night, guided by a light she lit for him. Her father learned of the boy's visits. One night, as she waited for her lover to arrive, he smashed her light, leaving the boy in the middle of the lake without a guide to indicate which direction to swim. His body washed ashore and, as the legend concludes, it appeared as if the words "Akh, Tamar" (Oh, Tamar) were frozen on his lips. The legend was the inspiration for a famous Armenian poem by Hovhannes Tumanyan.
Akdamar (meaning "white vein" in Turkish) is the official name of the island which was determined by Turkish government sometime after the modern republic was established and which is a part of the Turkish government's policy of the "Turkification" of indigenous names (deemed "cultural genocide" by some). Turkish journalist Cengiz Çandar wrote that the main intention is to hide the Armenian heritage in Anatolia.
Read more about this topic: Akdamar Island
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