15 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

With the withdrawal of Lake Van, the Urartian road to Çarpanak Island emerged

In Lake Van in eastern Turkey, the water level fell due to global warming, and a one-kilometer Urartian road connecting Çarpanak Island to the shore emerged.

The increasing effects of global warming are causing water level changes in the lake during certain periods and with changes in water level, some underwater structures appear.

Çarpanak Island, (Turkish: Çarpanak Adası) or Ktuts or Ktouts (Armenian: Կտուց կղզի Ktuts kghzi), is one of the 4 big islands in Lake Van.

Island is now uninhabited, but formerly contained an Armenian monastery called Ktuts. The ruins of it can still be seen.

Van Yüzüncü Yıl University (YYU) Faculty of Letters, Head of Archeology Department Prof. Dr. Rafet Çavuşoğlu told Anadolu Agency (AA) that Van, formerly Tusba, served as the capital of the Urartians for many years.

Urartian Road to Çarpanak Island. Photographer Ozkan Bilgin/AA
Urartian Road to Çarpanak Island. Photographer Ozkan Bilgin/AA

Explaining that the Urartians established transportation networks around Lake Van by both land and sea, Çavuşoğlu said, “One of these roads is the road that starts from Tusba and continues to Kalecik, Topaktaş, and then Çarpanak Island. The ruins on Çarpanak Island, namely the Çarpanak Church, belong to the Middle Ages. While this place was in the form of a peninsula in the Ancient Age, the level of the road was raised and transportation was provided by land. In fact, it is a road that starts from Tusba and continues along the shore of the lake, providing access to the castles. There is an Urartian road that follows the coast from Ayanis and Amik castles to Muradiye.” he said.

Noting that the road to Çarpanak Island was submerged over time, Çavuşoğlu said:

“The most important issue here is the decrease in the water level of Van Lake as a result of the decrease in precipitation after 2021. Therefore, the current path is seen more clearly. From time to time, Lake Van rises and falls. After the last rise in 1994, this road was mostly underwater. This road was built in order to provide access to the Urartian period castles, which were established by the lake, and then to the settlements that continued in the Middle Ages, by road. It is an ancient road that was built as wide as a horse-drawn carriage and was built both to take food and daily necessities to Çarpanak and to transport back and forth from Çarpanak. In the aerial images, it is clearly seen that the road was built by lining up stones, and only the main stones remained as the water eroded the road over time.”

During the Iron Age, the Urartians formed a strong political presence in the Eastern Anatolia region by coming together of several principalities such as Uruatri and Nairi. Architecture and metalworking is a civilization that draws attention, especially in the field of handicrafts.

Related Articles

Philippines Cagayan Cave Art 3500 Years Old

29 June 2021

29 June 2021

A depiction depicting a human-like figure on a cave wall in Penablanca town, Cagayan province, is Southeast Asia’s first directly...

The two sarcophagi discovered beneath Notre Dame start to reveal their secrets

12 December 2022

12 December 2022

The owner of one of the two sarcophagi that were found in an excavation at the intersection of Notre Dame...

Archaeologists Discovered a Mysterious Ancient Bone Floor in Alkmaar, the Netherlands

16 December 2024

16 December 2024

Archaeologists found a part of a floor made of animal bones in Alkmaar, North Holland, the Netherlands. Experts are intrigued...

12 tombs with Beautiful Decorations and Carved Bricks from the period of Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, found in China

22 May 2023

22 May 2023

China has a rich history. In addition to the fossil records from the Paleolithic Period, the country has witnessed the...

A 1,300-year-old necklace is the ‘richest of its type ever uncovered in Britain’

6 December 2022

6 December 2022

Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) archaeologists have found a “once-in-a-lifetime” 1,300-year-old gold and gemstone necklace dating back to 630-670 AD...

A 1600-year-old writing set was unearthed in the city of Bathonea, which has the oldest ancient port in Istanbul

21 August 2022

21 August 2022

During the Istanbul Bathonea excavations, a 1600-year-old writing set containing a miniature vessel, a bone writing pen, and an inkwell,...

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,...

Imperial cult temple discovered in Spello: It opens a new chapter in the Roman Empire’s transition from paganism to Christianity

6 January 2024

6 January 2024

American researchers have announced the discovery of an Imperial cult temple in Spello, Italy. The discovery was announced by Douglas...

Archaeologists Unveil Sanctuary of Odysseus on Ithaca: A Monumental Discovery Rooted in Myth and History

15 June 2025

15 June 2025

A major archaeological breakthrough on the Greek island of Ithaca has brought new clarity to the island’s legendary past. Researchers...

Dominican mission discovers 1,305-meter Greco-Roman ancient rock-cut tunnel in Alexandria

4 November 2022

4 November 2022

A Greco-Roman tunnel measuring 1,305 meters in length was discovered beneath Tapuziris Magna, an Ancient Egyptian city, by an Egyptian-Dominican...

Ancient Cymbals Unearthed in Oman Reveal Shared Musical Traditions Across Bronze Age Cultures

8 April 2025

8 April 2025

Recent archaeological discoveries in Oman have unveiled significant insights into the musical practices of Bronze Age societies, suggesting a rich...

A New Hypothesis Tries to Explain What Triggers People’s Big Brains

14 March 2021

14 March 2021

The big brain is the decisive feature of our species. Not only are they the most complex organs in the...

Earliest Direct Evidence of Psychoactive Plant Use in Iron Age Arabia Identified in Tomb at Qurayyah

25 May 2025

25 May 2025

In a remarkable archaeological breakthrough, scientists have uncovered the earliest known use of the psychoactive plant Peganum harmala—commonly known as...

A surprising discovery in Lublin countryside! Ancient figurines of Egyptian and Roman gods found

6 May 2023

6 May 2023

Two ancient figurines depicting the Egyptian god Osiris and a bust of the Roman god Bacchus were found in the...

Rare Langsax fighting blade with Viking origins discovered in Poland

20 August 2021

20 August 2021

Archaeologists working in the Wdecki Landscape Park in Poland’s Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship have discovered a rare langsax long knife with potential...