3,000-year-old castle discovered at the bottom of Türkiye's largest lake

Divers have discovered the ruins of a 3,000-year-old castle hidden deep at the bottom of Lake Van, the largest lake in Türkiye.

Divers explore the castle under Lake Van. Photo: Hurriyet Daily News.

The castle was found by a team of scientists who have been studying the lake for nearly 10 years, including Tahsin Ceylan, an underwater photographer and videographer, Mustafa Akkuş from Van Yüzüncü Yıl University and diver Cumali Birol, the International Business Times reported yesterday.

The castle likely belonged to the Urartu civilization, an Iron Age kingdom in the Armenian plateau that extended into present-day Türkiye, Armenia and Iran.

"Many civilizations and peoples settled around Lake Van. They called the lake 'the upper sea' and believed that this place contained many mysteries. We are exploring to reveal the secrets of the lake," Ceylan shared.

The team had heard rumors of ancient underwater ruins. But some archaeologists familiar with the area said they found little in the lake. “It’s a miracle to find an underwater castle,” Ceylan said.

The stonework of the castle, which covers an area of ​​about a square kilometre, suggests it belonged to the Urartian civilisation, which rose to prominence in the mid-9th century before gradually declining. "The walls of this castle stretch over a large area. We need to do underwater excavations because we don't know how deep the walls are," said Ceylan.

The water in Lake Van is alkaline, which has preserved the ruins. The castle, as well as numerous villages and settlements in the area, were built at a time when the water level was significantly lower than today.

According to VNE