Drone footage shows a lost city under Lake Van in Turkey

The submerged remains of Iron Age structures around an islet located in the depths of Lake Van in eastern Turkey are becoming more visible every day.

Drone footage clearly shows a distinct urban layout in the area, with remains believed to date back to the Urartian period. As the water level continues to drop, historical and natural artifacts lying on the bottom of the lake rise to the surface.

This phenomenon, in particular the appearance of ancient settlements and old buildings, is of great importance for the history and culture of the region. A decrease in precipitation and an increase in evaporation led to a decrease in the level of the lake.

Professor Nejmettin Elmastash, rector of Bitlis Eren University (BEÜ), emphasized that these underwater structures need to be dated by relevant experts. In a statement on the matter, Elmastash said: “In recent years, due to global warming, severe droughts have occurred in some areas. We are also seeing the effects of this drought in the Lake Van Basin. Over the past three to four years, there has been a significant decrease in the amount of precipitation, which has led to a serious drop in the water level, some microbiolites at the bottom of the lake have come to the surface and are about to emerge.

“It is important to conduct serious research in these areas. Research should be carried out here by appropriate specialists, for example, historians or those who deal with settlements. This indicates that the water level in the lake was lower at some point. This suggests that the lake These remains must be dated by the relevant experts with the naked eye.

Kumali Birol, president of the Adilchevaz Upper Sea Association, noted that they discovered underwater structures around the island along the Akhlata coastline for the first time. He stated, “News have been published claiming that this area has recently been discovered with a changed name. In fact, this is not true; it was a famous place.’

Birol invited experts from the underwater archeology department of Selcuk University in Turkey to conduct the necessary examinations there. “We find traces of settlements almost along every shore of the Lake Van basin. We can see that this area, where the houses are located, has been a refuge for many civilizations. We have already talked about the places we saw in 2007, which were at depth. 29 meters, then new finds will appear.

“We used to conduct underwater filming here, but today we see that the water is falling even more, about 3 meters. Factors such as global warming, climate change and the irresponsible use of water are contributing to this decline. Hopefully it won’t contribute to drying. Van Lake is very valuable to us. We also see that many civilizations lived here.

“We came across many traces of life in Adilchevaz Castle, including Urartians, Seljuks and Persians; therefore, these traces of life have left traces of each civilization over time. This is the essence of cultural heritage and value. We can see traces from the Seljuks to the Ottomans, no matter what civilization or entity they belong to, all historical artifacts under the flag of the Republic of Turkey belong to Turkey.”

Birol added: “We must protect these values and take ownership of them. We filmed this area underwater and we saw different civilizations down there, people living there; there are roads, gardens and rows of houses still standing.’

“Also, we saw gutters and stupas. We even came across a round stone wheel. Universities and our esteemed professors are engaged in the study of this. Selcuk University in Turkey has a department of underwater archaeology. They need to come and investigate it. We continue to discover finds through our sports diving activities,” he added.