Nowruz meaning "new day" in Persian marks the annual start of spring and is celebrated across a wide swath of the Middle East, Caucasus, South Asia and the Balkans.

Turkey's eastern city of Van - dubbed as the "pearl of the east" - welcomed a record number of tourists over this year's Nowruz holiday.

Locals greet tourists celebrating the holiday, but the inflow is also presenting new challenges for the city.

TRT World's Joseph Hayat has this report.