24 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The 2800-year-old Urartians Lake, which is an engineering masterpiece of its time, is drying

Keşiş Lake in Van, in eastern Turkey, which was built by the Urartu King Rusa 2,800 years ago, was negatively affected by drought. High temperatures caused the water level of the lake to decrease and a large part of it to dry up.

The lake, as the name of its producer, Rusa Lake, because it lives intensely, Turna Lake, the names of Monk Lake or Wide Lake are given by the local people.

Keşiş Gölü is an artificially-created lake located 23 km east of Van, in the Varak Dağı massif. The lake was made by the Urartian king Rusa, son of Erimena, to ensure a constant water supply for the capital Tušpa.

Its height from the sea is 2,550 m and its area is 4–7 km2 depending on the rainfall.  The lake, where 20 million m3 of water can be stored, has a water collection basin of 100 km2.  The lake is located on a plateau with cold spring waters.

During the reign of Urartu King Rusa II. (685-645 BC), a small river was blocked by two dams to create a reservoir lake. This lake, which was an engineering masterpiece of its time, has been operating as an irrigation system for 2800 years.

Keşiş Gölü, Van.

Four Urartian inscriptions, including a rock relief, were discovered in its vicinity. The upper part of a stele, the so-called Keşiş Göl stele, records the creation of Rusai Sue (Lake Rusa).

It has long been a destination for tourists, especially in the spring, when the multicolored foliage around the lake is in full bloom.

In 2021, Keşiş Lake was designated as a “sensitive area that needs protection”. This designation was meant to protect the lake as a natural wonder. However, water levels have now dropped to a historic low and the lake is in danger of disappearing entirely.

Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, Faculty of Literature, Department of Geography, Professor Dr. Faruk Alaeddinoğlu, who expressed that there are many lakes of various sizes in the basin, stated, “One of these lakes is Turna (Keşiş) Lake. Turna Lake is a very special lake that is used for both recreational purposes and actually serves as a lake we utilize for agricultural activities of the local people in the region. It meets the irrigation water needs as well. However, witnessing the recent decline in the lake’s water level during a field survey a few days ago was quite saddening.”

Photo: İHA

Alaeddinoğlu stated that the region largely lacks snowfall, saying, “Because there are no high mountainous areas in this region. Therefore, snowfall does not occur. Consequently, the expected precipitation did not take place.”

Alaeddinoğlu, emphasizing the need to find a solution to the drought, continued his statement as follows:

“Especially in the area where dams are built for the water needed by the people in the region, the water level has currently dropped below those dams. Therefore, unfortunately, the villagers cannot meet their needs from the lake. This decline will continue because there are no new water sources feeding that area. Water resources will already decrease from now on. Evaporation will also contribute to water loss.”

Related Articles

Using 3D scanners, archaeologists have identified the person who carved Jelling Stone Runes

29 September 2023

29 September 2023

Researchers at the National Museum of Denmark using 3D scans have identified who carved the Jelling Stone Runes, located in...

Interesting Social Dimensions of Rare Diseases Seen in the Bronze Age

10 March 2021

10 March 2021

When it comes to Rare Diseases, what almost all of us think of is that this disease has affected very...

In China, 2700-Year-Old Face Cream Made from Moon Milk for Men was Found

14 February 2021

14 February 2021

At a Chinese excavation site with Chinese and German researchers, evidence of a 2,700-year-old male facial cream was found. In...

The Mystery of the Hekatompedon: An Ancient Shepherd’s Graffiti Sheds New Light on the Mystery of the Acropolis’ Lost Temple

13 June 2024

13 June 2024

The Acropolis of Athens and its monuments, the greatest architectural and artistic complex bequeathed to the world by ancient Greece,...

Farmer Found Sarcophagus of Hellenistic Period in his Field

9 April 2021

9 April 2021

The citizen named E. G. in Akçakoca, Taşkuyucak District of Gölmarmara district of Manisa (Turkey), while plowing his field, thought...

Archaeologists in Egypt unearth Roman-era cabin and royal sphinx statue

6 March 2023

6 March 2023

An Egyptian archaeological mission discovered a sphinx statue inside a Roman-era limestone cabin excavated in Egypt’s south. The artifacts were...

New Research Links Climate Crisis to the Fall of the Roman Empire

11 April 2025

11 April 2025

A study led by scientists at the University of Southampton, in collaboration with Queen’s University Canada and the Chinese Academy...

Excavations at Körzüt Castle unearth 2 cuneiform inscriptions and a new Urartian Susi temple

25 October 2023

25 October 2023

During the rescue excavations carried out at the Körzüt Castle in the Muradiye district of Van province in eastern Turkey,...

Maya Archaeological site for sale on Facebook has stirred controversy in Yucatán and across Mexico

31 March 2023

31 March 2023

Over 249 hectares of land for sale on Facebook Marketplace has sparked controversy in Yucatan and across Mexico. The property,...

In Turkey’s Gedikkaya Cave, a stone figurine was discovered inside a 16,500-year-old votive pit

17 December 2022

17 December 2022

A stone figurine was discovered in a 16500-year-old votive pit belonging to the Epi-paleolithic period, the transition phase from the...

Africa May not be Where the First Pre-Human First Appeared

22 March 2021

22 March 2021

According to one opinion: About 2 million years ago, our first ancestors moved north from their hometown and left Africa....

Radar Detects Long-lost River in Egypt and Could Explain How The Pyramids Were Built

22 May 2024

22 May 2024

More than 30 pyramids in Egypt are located in an unremarkable strip of barren desert far from the shores of...

A very Rare Medieval Pocket Sundial Discovered in Germany

31 July 2023

31 July 2023

A rare Medieval sundial, which is approximately the size of a matchbox was discovered in the old town of Marburg,...

Archaeologists Find the “Lost” House of the Last Anglo-Saxon King Depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry

28 January 2025

28 January 2025

A team from Newcastle University and the University of Exeter have uncovered evidence that a house in England is the...