lakes Eastern

Türkiye

The region of Eastern Anatolia is 164,000 square kilometers, and covers 21% of Türkiye's territory. The region is the richest part of Türkiye in terms of lakes. Lake Van, a volcanogenic lake, is the largest lake in Türkiye, and is located in this region.

Lake Van

In the Eastern Anatolia Region of Türkiye, Lake Van is situated in the district of Tatvan in Bitlis Province. It is a lake formed by a volcanic eruption. As a result of the explosion of Mount Nemrut, Van Lake was formed when the waters filled up over time.

Four islands are located to the lake's east: Adır, Akdamar, Kush, and Çarpanak. The islands, which attract tourists with their historical features, were declared an archaeological site in 1990. Akdamar Island, the largest of the four islands, houses the 10th-century Holy Cross Cathedral which was a medieval Armenian Apostolic church.

Lake Van has the distinction of being the largest saline soda (alkaline) lake in Türkiye and the largest soda lake on Earth. It has limited biodiversity due to the nature of its water. The only fish species that live in the lake is the pearl mullet (Alburnus tarichi).

According to Turkish folklore, there is a monster that lives in the lake, the Lake Van Monster (Van Gölü Canavarı). Newspaper articles as far back as the late 19^th century offer reports of sightings while the city of Van even has a statue commemorating the mystical beast.

The fortress was also cult center for the god Haldi, the warrior god in Urartian culture. Today, Urartu temples, altar stairs and tombs of kings, Persian inscriptions, and Ottoman mosques are found at Van Fortress, just west of west of Van and east of Lake Van.

Lake Çıldır

Lake Çıldır is in the province of Ardahan in Türkiye’s Eastern Anatolia Region. Armenia is located northwest the lake. Lake Çıldır attracts attention both in summer and winter. It is approximately 44 kilometers from the Ardahan city center.

Lake Çıldır hosts various festivals and events in the winter. The Çıldır Lake Festival and the Ashik Festival are of special interest. In winter, it is possible to ride sleds on the frozen lake. Performances of Caucasian folk dance are a local attraction not to be missed, as well as enjoying breakfast by the fireplace in log cabins by the lake. Wildlife enthusiasts should look out for foxes around the lake.

Lake Nemrut

Lake Nemrut is located on the summit of Mount Nemrut at an altitude of 2,800 meters. It is in the district of Tatvan in Bitlis Province. Lake Nemrut has the distinction of being the second-largest crater lake in the world and the largest in Türkiye. It is a freshwater lake and has a surface area of 15 square kilometers. A bird's-eye view of this lake, which has a depth of 176 meters, shows that it is crescent-shaped. The lake also has an area suitable for camping.

Other Lakes in the Eastern Anatolia Region

Lake Erçek (Van)
Lake Hazar (Elazığ)
Lake Nazik (Bitlis)
Lake Balık (Ağrı)
Lake Aktaş (Kars)
Lake Sodalı (Bitlis)
Lake Haçlı (Muş)
Lake Tortum (Erzurum)
Lake Aygır (Bitlis)
Lake Akgöl (Van)
Lake Turna (Van)
Lake Copluk (Van)
Lake Kazlı (Van)
Lake Tuz (Van)
Lake Değirmi (Van)
Lake Süphan (Van)
Lake Hıdırmenteş (Van)
Lake Bostaniçi (Van)
Lake Gövelek (Van)
Lake Akdoğan (Muş)
Lake Kaz (Muş)
Lake Köyçeğiz (Erzurum)
Lake Deniz (Kars)