Lake Van
From space, September 1996 (top of image is roughly northwest)
Coordinates	38°38′N 42°49′E / 38.633, 42.817Coordinates: 38°38′N 42°49′E / 38.633, 42.817
Lake type	saline lake
Primary inflows	Karasu, Hoşap, Güzelsu, Bendimahi, Zilan and Yeniköprü streams[1]
Primary outflows	none
Catchment area	12,500 km² (4,826 sq mi)[1]
Basin countries	Turkey
Max. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. A lake (from Latin lacus) is a Terrain feature (or Physical feature) a body of Liquid on the surface of a world that is localized to the The salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of Water which has a concentration of Salts (mostly Sodium chloride) and other minerals significantly In Hydrology, the inflow of a Body of water is the source of the Water in the body of water In Hydrology, the discharge or outflow of a River is the volume of Water transported by it in a certain amount of time A drainage basin is an extent of Land where Water from Rain or Snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a River, A drainage basin is an extent of Land where Water from Rain or Snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a River, length	119 km (74 mi)
Surface area	3,755 km² (1,450 sq mi)
Average depth	171 m (561 ft)
Max. To help compare Orders of magnitude of different geographical regions we list here areas between 1000 km2 and 10000 km2 depth	451 m (1,480 ft)[2]
Water volume	607 km³ (146 cu mi)[2]
Shore length1	430 km (267 mi)
Surface elevation	1,640 m (5,381 ft)
Islands	Akdamar, Çarpanak Adası (İçeriçarpanak), Adır Adası (Lim), Kuş Adası (Arter)
Settlements	Van, Tatvan, Ahlat, Erciş
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. CM3 redirects here If you were looking for the 3rd game in the Cooking Mama series abbreviated as CM3 see here. A cubic mile is an Imperial / US customary (non- SI non- metric) unit of Volume, used in the United States. Akdamar Island (also known as Aghtamar, Ahktamar, and Aght'amar; Akdamar Adası Armenian: Աղթամար Kurdish: Aghtamar Çarpanak Island (Çarpanak Adası is a small island in Lake Van. Arter, also known as Kuşadasi ("Bird Island" in Turkish is a small island in Lake Van. Van ( Armenian hy Վան Kurdish: Wan from Armenian van - village settlement is a city in eastern Turkey and the seat of Van Tatvan is a city at the western end of Lake Van, and is the regional center of the identically-named district within Bitlis Province in eastern Turkey. Ahlat is a historic town and a district in Turkey 's Bitlis Province in Eastern Anatolia Region. Erciş ( Armenian: Artzike) is a district of Van Province of Turkey.

Lake Van (Turkish: Van Gölü, Kurdish: Gola Wanê, Armenian: Վանա լիճ, Persian: Daryacheye Van ("Lake of Van")) is the largest lake in Turkey, located in the far east of the country. Turkish ( tr Türkçe IPA) is a language spoken by over 63 million people worldwide making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. The Kurdish language (Kurdish Kurdî or کوردی is a term used for the language spoken by Kurds. The Armenian language (hy հայերեն լեզու hajɛɹɛn lɛzu —, conventional short form) is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian A lake (from Latin lacus) is a Terrain feature (or Physical feature) a body of Liquid on the surface of a world that is localized to the Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches It is a saline and soda lake, receiving water from numerous small streams that descend from the surrounding mountains. The salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of Water which has a concentration of Salts (mostly Sodium chloride) and other minerals significantly Lake Van is one of the world's largest endorheic lakes (having no outlet). An endorheic basin (from Greek endo ‘inside’ + rhein ‘to flow’ also terminal or closed basin) is a closed Drainage basin The original outlet from the basin was blocked by an ancient volcanic eruption.

Contents 1 Hydrology and chemistry 2 Geology 3 Ecology 4 History 4.1 Armenian kingdoms 4.2 Byzantine empire 4.3 Seljuk empire 5 Architecture 6 Transportation 7 Islands 8 See also 9 References 10 External links

Hydrology and chemistry

Lake Van is 119 km across at its widest point, averaging a depth of 171 metres (561 ft) with a maximum recorded depth of 451 metres (1,480 ft). ^[2] The lake surface lies 1,640 metres (5,381 ft) above sea level and the shore length is 430 kilometres (267 mi). Lake Van has an area of 3,755 km² (1,450 sq mi) and a volume of 607 cubic kilometers (145. To help compare Orders of magnitude of different geographical regions we list here areas between 1000 km2 and 10000 km2 CM3 redirects here If you were looking for the 3rd game in the Cooking Mama series abbreviated as CM3 see here. 6 cu mi). A cubic mile is an Imperial / US customary (non- SI non- metric) unit of Volume, used in the United States. ^[2]

The western portion of the lake is deepest, with a large basin deeper than 400 m (1,312 ft) lying northeast of Tatvan and south of Ahlat. Tatvan is a city at the western end of Lake Van, and is the regional center of the identically-named district within Bitlis Province in eastern Turkey. Ahlat is a historic town and a district in Turkey 's Bitlis Province in Eastern Anatolia Region. The eastern arms of the lake are shallower. The Van-Ahtamar portion shelves gradually, with a maximum depth of about 250 m (820 ft) on its northwest side where it joins the rest of the lake. The Erciş arm is much shallower, mostly less than 50 m (164 ft), with a maximum depth of about 150 m (492 ft). ^[3][4]

The lake water is strongly alkaline (pH 9. In Chemistry, an alkali (from Arabic: Al-Qaly القلي القالي) is a basic, ionic salt of an Alkali metal pH is the measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a Solution. 7–9. 8) and rich in sodium carbonate and other salts, which are extracted by evaporation and used as detergents. Sodium carbonate (also known as washing soda or soda ash), is a Sodium Salt of Carbonic acid. Salt is a Dietary mineral composed primarily of Sodium chloride that is essential for Animal life but toxic to most land plants A detergent (as a noun is a material intended to assist Cleaning.

Geology

The lake's outlet was blocked at some time during the Pleistocene, when lava flows from Nemrut volcano blocked westward outflow towards the Muş Plain. The Landsat program is the longest running enterprise for acquisition of imagery of Earth from space The Pleistocene ('plaɪstəsin is the epoch from 18 million to 10000 years BP covering the world's recent period Lava is molten rock expelled by a Volcano during an eruption When first expelled from a volcanic vent it is a Liquid at Temperatures Turkey also has a mountain called Nemrut Nemrut ( Turkish: Nemrut Dağı, Armenian: Սարակն "Mountain spring" Muş is a province in eastern Turkey. It is 8196 km² in area and has a population of 488997 (2006 est Now dormant, Nemrut Dağı is close to the western shore of the lake, and another dormant stratovolcano, Süphan Dağı dominates the northern side of the lake. Turkey also has a mountain called Nemrut Nemrut ( Turkish: Nemrut Dağı, Armenian: Սարակն "Mountain spring" A stratovolcano, also called a composite volcano is a tall conical Volcano composed of many layers of hardened Lava, Tephra, and Volcanic Mount Süphan (Süphan Dağı Sîpana Xelatê is a Mountain located in eastern Turkey, immediately north of Lake Van.

The water level of the lake has often altered dramatically: near Tatvan, Oswald (see Geology of Armenia, 1901) noted a raised beach high above the present level of the lake as well as recently drowned trees. Investigation by Degens and others in the early 1980s determined that the highest lake levels (72m above the current height) had been during the last ice age, about 18,000 years ago. About 9,500 years ago there was a dramatic drop to more than 300m below the present level. This was followed by an equally dramatic rise around 6,500 years ago. ^[2]

Similar but smaller fluctuations have been seen recently. The level of the lake rose by at least three metres during the 1990s, drowning much agricultural land, and (after a brief period of stability and then retreat) seems to be rising again. The level has risen about two meters in the ten years immediatey prior to 2004. ^[1]

As a deep lake with no outlet, Lake Van has accumulated great amounts of sediment washed in from surrounding plains and valleys, and occasionally deposited as ash from eruptions of nearby volcanoes. This layer of sediment is estimated to be up to 400m thick in places, and has attracted climatologists and vulcanologists interested in drilling cores to examine the layered sediments.

In 1989 and 1990, an international team of geologists led by Dr. Stephan Kempe from the University of Hamburg (now Professor at the Technische Universität Darmstadt) retrieved ten sediment cores from depths up to 446 m (1,463 ft). Although these cores only penetrated the first few meters of sediment, they provided sufficient varves to give climate data for up to 14,570 years BP. A varve is an annual layer of Sediment or Sedimentary rock. The word 'varve' is derived from the Swedish word varv whose Before Present (BP years are a time scale used in Archaeology, Geology, and other scientific disciplines to specify when events in the past occurred ^[5]

A team of scientists headed by palaeontologist Professor Thomas Litt at the University of Bonn has applied for funding from the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) for a new, deeper drilling project to examine the lake's sediments. The University of Bonn ( German: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany The International Continental Scientific Drilling Program is a multinational program to further and fund Geosciences in the field of Continental Scientific Drilling Litt expects to find that "Lake Van stores the climate history of the last 800,000 years—an incomparable treasure house of data which we want to tap for at least the last 500,000 years. "^[6] A test drilling in 2004 detected evidence of 15 volcanic eruptions in the past 20,000 years.

Ecology

The only fish known to live in the brackish water of Lake Van is Chalcalburnus tarichi the Pearl Mullet or inci kefalı,^[7] a Cyprinid fish related to chub and dace, which is caught during the spring floods. Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two UserPolbot. -->The Incikefali Baligi ( Chalcalburnus tarichi) is a species of Ray-finned fish in the The family Cyprinidae, from the Ancient Greek κυπρῖνος ( kuprīnos "carp" consists of the Carps In May and June, these fish migrate from the lake to less alkaline water, spawning either near the mouths of the rivers feeding the lake or in the rivers themselves. After spawning season it returns to the lake. ^[8]

103 species of phytoplankton have been recorded in the lake including Diatome, Bacteriophyta, Cyanophyta, Chlorophyta, Flagellata and Phaeophyta. Phytoplankton are the Autotrophic component of the Plankton community Diatome (1962-1985 was a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse owned and bred by the French Banker Baron Guy de Rothschild Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, blue-green bacteria or Cyanophyta, is a phylum of Bacteria that obtain their energy Chlorophyta, a division of Green algae, of mostly aquatic Photosynthetic Eukaryotic organisms Flagellates are cells with one or more whip-like organelles called flagella. The Phaeophyceae or brown algae, (singular alga is a large group of mostly marine multicellular Algae including many Seaweeds of colder 36 species of zooplankton have also been recorded including Rotatoria, Cladocera and Copepoda in the lake. Zooplankton are the Heterotrophic (sometimes detritivorous) type of Plankton. The rotifers make up a Phylum of microscopic and near-microscopic pseudocoelomate Animals They were first described by Rev Cladocera or cladocerans are small Crustaceans commonly called Water fleas, part of the Class Branchiopoda. Copepods are a group of small Crustaceans found in the sea and nearly every freshwater habitat and they constitute the biggest source of protein in the oceans ^[9]

In 1991, researchers reported the discovery of 40 m (131 ft) tall microbialites in Lake Van. Stromatolites (from Greek στρώμα strōma, mattress bed stratum and λιθος lithos, rock are layered accretionary Structures formed in These are solid towers on the lake bed created by mats of coccoid cyanobacteria (Pleurocapsa group) that create aragonite in combination with calcite precipitating out of the lake water. Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, blue-green bacteria or Cyanophyta, is a phylum of Bacteria that obtain their energy Aragonite is a Carbonate mineral, one of the two common naturally occurring polymorphs of Calcium carbonate, Ca[[carbon C]] O 3 Calcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of Calcium carbonate ( Ca[[carbon C]] O 3 ^[10]

The Lake Van region is the home of the rare Van Kedisi breed of cat, noted for among other things its unusual fascination with water. "Van cat" redirects here You may be looking for Turkish Van. WikipediaManual of Style (spelling, articles should conform to one overall spelling style of English typically the one most linked to the article topic (if it is geographic

Since about 1995 there have been reported sightings of a 'Lake Van monster' about 15 metres (49 ft) in length named Van Canavarı ("Monster of Van"). The Lake Van Monster ( Van Gölü Canavarı) was not reported until 1995 in Lake Van, a large alkaline lake in Eastern Turkey

The lake is surrounded by fruit and grain-growing agricultural areas. The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context and the term is not synonymous in Food preparation and Biology. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture

History

Further information: Urartu

Tushpa, the capital of Urartu, was located near the shores of Lake Van, on the site of what became medieval Van's castle, west of present-day Van city. Urartu ( Assyrian: Urarṭu Urartian: Biainili Ուրարտու was an Iron Age kingdom in Eastern Anatolia ( Transcaucasia) rising Tushpa (modern Van, Turkey located on Lake Van) was the capital of Urartu in the late 9th century BC Urartu ( Assyrian: Urarṭu Urartian: Biainili Ուրարտու was an Iron Age kingdom in Eastern Anatolia ( Transcaucasia) rising Van ( Armenian hy Վան Kurdish: Wan from Armenian van - village settlement is a city in eastern Turkey and the seat of Van ^[11] The ruins of the medieval city of Van are still visible below the southern slopes of the rock on which Van Castle is located. The Fortress of Van also known as Van Citadel is a massive stone fortification built by the ancient kingdom of Urartu, overlooking

Armenian kingdoms

The lake was the centre of the Armenian kingdom of Ararat from about 1000 BC, afterwards of the Satrapy of Armina, Kingdom of Greater Armenia, and the Armenian Kingdom of Vaspurakan. The Armenians (Հայեր Hayer) are a Nation and Ethnic group originating in the Caucasus and in the Armenian Highlands A large Vaspurakan (also transliterated as Vasbouragan in Western Armenian; Վասպուրական meaning the "noble land" or "land of princes" was first a province

Along with Lake Sevan in today's Armenia and Lake Urmia in today's Iran, Van was one of the three great lakes of the Armenian Kingdom, referred to as the seas of Armenia (in ancient Assyrian sources: "tâmtu ša mât Nairi" (Upper Sea of Nairi), the Lower Sea being Lake Urmia). Lake Sevan (Սևանա լիճ is the largest lake in Armenia and one of the largest high-altitude lakes in the world Armenia (Հայաստան transliterated: Hayastan,) officially the Republic of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն Hayastani Lake Urmia ( Daryacheh-ye Orumieh; ارومیه گولو, ارومیه گولی ancient name Lake Matiene) is a Salt lake in northwestern Iran For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Armenia (Հայաստան transliterated: Hayastan,) officially the Republic of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն Hayastani Lake Urmia ( Daryacheh-ye Orumieh; ارومیه گولو, ارومیه گولی ancient name Lake Matiene) is a Salt lake in northwestern Iran Over time, the lake was known by various Armenian names, including Armenian: Վանա լիճ (Lake of Van), Վանա ծով (Sea of Van), Արճեշի ծով (Sea of Arčeš), Բզնունեաց ծով (Sea of Bznuni), Ռշտունեաց ծով (Sea of Rshtuni), and Տոսպայ լիճ (Lake of Tosp). The Armenian language (hy հայերեն լեզու hajɛɹɛn lɛzu —, conventional short form) is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian

Byzantine empire

By the 11th century the region around Lake Van was on the border between the Byzantine empire, with its capital at Constantinople, and the Seljuk Turkish empire, with its capital at Isfahan. Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS Seljuk ( Arabic: السلاجقة Turkish: Selçuk; also Seldjuk, Seldjuq, Seljuq) was the eponymous hero of the Seljuks Esfahān or Isfahan (historically also rendered as Ispahan or Hispahan, Old Persian: Aspadana, Middle Persian: Spahān In the uneasy peace between the two empires, local Armenian-Byzantine landowners employed Turcoman gazis and Byzantine akritoi for protection. Ghazw or Ghazah (plural ghazawāt) (غزو was originally an Arabic term referring to the battles in which the Islamic prophet Muhammad personally The Akritoi or Akritai (singular Akritēs) were Greek frontiersman guarding the Anatolian borders of the However, these mercenaries often turned to looting for their own benefit.

In the second half of the 11th century the situation on the southeast border of the Byzantine empire had reached such a point that Emperor Romanus IV Diogenes launched a campaign to re-conquer Armenia and head off growing Seljuk control. Diogenes and his large army crossed the Euphrates and confronted a much smaller Seljuk force led by Alp Arslan at the Battle of Manzikert, north of Lake Van on 26 August 1071. The Euphrates ( ( Arabic: ar نهر الفرات; Turkish: tr Fırat Syriac: syr ܦܪܬ; Hebrew: he פרת Alp Arslan (1029 &ndash December 15, 1072) was the second sultan of the Seljuk dynasty and great-grandson of Seljuk, the Eponym of The Battle of Manzikert, or Malazgirt, was fought between the Byzantine Empire and Seljuq forces led by Alp Arslan on August 26 1071 near Manzikert Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert. Despite their greater numbers, the cumbersome Byzantine force was defeated by the more mobile Turkish horsemen and Diogenes was captured.

Seljuk empire

Alp Arslan divided the conquered eastern portions of the Byzantine empire among his Turcoman generals, with each ruled as a hereditary beylik, under overall sovereignty of the Great Seljuq Empire. The Great Seljuq Empire was a Medieval Sunni Muslim empire established by the Qynyq branch of Oghuz Turks that once controlled Alp Arslan gave the region around Lake Van to his commander Sökmen el Kutbî (literally Sökmen the Slave), who set up his capital at Ahlat on the western side of the lake. The dynasty of Ahlatshahs (also known as Sökmenler) ruled this area from 1085 to 1192. Ahlahshahs were the 11th-12th century rulers of an Anatolian Turkish Beylik of the first period founded after the Battle of Manzikert, and centered in Ahlat

The Ahlatshahs were succeeded by the Ayyubid dynasty. The Ayyubid or Ayyoubid Dynasty was a Muslim dynasty of Kurdish origins which ruled Egypt, Syria, Yemen (except for

Architecture

Near the Van Castle and the southern shore, on Akdamar Island lies the Church of the Holy Cross (Armenian: Սուրբ Խաչ, Surb Khach), which served as a royal church to the Armenian Vaspurakan kingdom. The Fortress of Van also known as Van Citadel is a massive stone fortification built by the ancient kingdom of Urartu, overlooking Akdamar Island (also known as Aghtamar, Ahktamar, and Aght'amar; Akdamar Adası Armenian: Աղթամար Kurdish: Aghtamar Akdamar Island (also known as Aghtamar, Ahktamar, and Aght'amar; Akdamar Adası Armenian: Աղթամար Kurdish: Aghtamar Vaspurakan (also transliterated as Vasbouragan in Western Armenian; Վասպուրական meaning the "noble land" or "land of princes" was first a province

The Ahlatshahs left a large number of historic tombstones in and around the town of Ahlat. A headstone, tombstone or gravestone is a marker normally carved from stone, placed over or next to the site of a Burial Ahlat is a historic town and a district in Turkey 's Bitlis Province in Eastern Anatolia Region. Local administrators are currently trying to have the tombstones included in UNESCO's World Heritage List,^[12] where they are currently listed tentatively. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on November 16 A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex ^[13]

Transportation

The railway connecting Turkey and Iran built in the 1970s uses a train ferry across Lake Van between the cities Tatvan and Van, rather than building railway tracks around the rugged shore line. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. See also Merchant ship A train ferry is a Ship designed to carry railway vehicles Tatvan is a city at the western end of Lake Van, and is the regional center of the identically-named district within Bitlis Province in eastern Turkey. Van ( Armenian hy Վան Kurdish: Wan from Armenian van - village settlement is a city in eastern Turkey and the seat of Van Transfer from train to ship and back again limits the total carrying capacity.

In May, 2008 talks started between Iran and Turkey to upgrade the ferry to a double track electrified railway. ^[14]

Islands

• Arter
• Lim
• Akdamar Island
• Charpanak

See also

• Lakes of Turkey
• Geography of Turkey
• Transportation in Turkey

References

External links

• Van Lake
• Description of Lake Van
• Pictures of Lake Van
• All About Turkey - Lake Van
• High Resolution Pictures of Van Castle

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