Revival of Keşiş Lake

Constructed 2,800 years ago by the Urartian King, the Keşiş (Turna) Lake has come back to life with the melting of snow and the impact of recent rainfall, hosting wild birds. In the last 4 years, the drought experienced nationwide has caused many lakes and dams to dry up, one of these lakes being the Keşiş (Turna) Lake created by Urartian King II. Rusa who reigned between 685-645 BC by blocking the river valley at the foothills of Mount Erek.

Impact of Rainfall

In recent years, due to the dry and rainless summers, the Keşiş Lake located at an altitude of 2,500 meters on the slopes of Mount Erek in the Gürpınar district, which was on the verge of drying up, has revived again with the melting of snow and the impact of recent rainfall, becoming a habitat for migratory birds to stay and breed.

Importance of Water Resources

Providing information on the subject, Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Akkuş from Van Yüzüncü Yıl University Fisheries Faculty stated, “The Van Lake basin is experiencing the rainiest period in recent years. As a result of these rains, many wetlands that have been dry for years in the basin have now met with water. Especially the Karasu Wetland and other wetlands, as well as the Keşiş Lake east of Mount Erek where we are now, we see that all of them are filled with water. This is a very gratifying situation because everything in the world started with water, and if there is water, it will continue.”

Efficient Use of Water

We see that the Akköprü Stream, which flows through the city center and flows into Lake Van, is flowing more vigorously than ever before. We are now entering the summer season with less rainfall and more sunny weather. For this reason, especially the water in ponds and dams should be used very slowly. Every drop of water that goes to Lake Van becomes unusable. The water accumulated in ponds, dams, and wetlands should be stored in these areas as much as possible and slowly released into Lake Van.

Biodiversity and Hopes

Stating that the current area is the Keşiş Lake east of Mount Erek, Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Akkuş said, “When we came here last year, we saw that the lake’s shoreline was much further back and there were islands in it. Now the water has almost reached the roadside. This situation has also reflected around Keşiş Lake. Biodiversity is much more vibrant, surrounded by bird sounds. The presence of water here gives hope for the basin,” he said.