Mysterious ruins discovered at bottom of Lake Van

BİTLİS

A group of divers have uncovered areas that bear traces of both a cemetery and a village at the bottom of Lake Van.

New ruins have been discovered at the bottom of the 3,712 square kilometer Lake Van, the country’s largest saline soda lake.

Following the dive made by members of two associations in Bitlis and Van provinces, it was stated that sunken ruins determined to be part of a historic city imprinted with cross marks were discovered in the depths of Lake Van.

Cumali Birol, president of the Eastern Sea Association, said that as the water levels decreased, notifications were made to relevant institutions regarding some tombstones and ruins seen in the water between Tatvan and Ahlat regions.

“Our divers saw structures similar to a village in the region, streets and tombs with crosses and marks of the Kayı tribe on them. We are endeavoring to bring the history of the region to light by giving the findings to experts. We discovered a very large area between Ahlat and Tatvan. There are cemeteries at the bottom of the water here. There are cross signs on the graves.”

Emphasizing that Lake Van is a mysterious place for divers, Birol said that over 3 meters of water has receded in the lake basin in recent years, which brought to light many ruins, as traces of ancient civilizations are seen everywhere in the lake basin.

“We brought two geologists from England to the workshop organized by our association. Therefore, we have proved that Noah's Flood happened in the Lake Van Basin. These new findings, which we found at a depth of 23 meters, prove this thesis,” Birol added.