The castle among the extinguished lava keeps its mystery

A castle, believed to belong to the Middle Ages and thought to have survived among the lavas as a result of the eruption of Mount Tendurek in the district of Çaldıran in Van, was captured on camera. Drone pilot teacher Muzaffer Salcıoğlu, who is stationed in Van, came across a mysterious castle among the extinct lava flows in a region located 20 kilometers away from the town center of Çaldıran. Curious about the history of Van and conducting research on the subject, Salcıoğlu examined the studies related to Mount Tendurek where a volcanic eruption occurred in 1855. Salcıoğlu, later examined satellite images and visited the Soğuksu Neighborhood, which is the most affected district by the volcanic eruption. Guided by the locals, Salcıoğlu inspected the area with the extinct lava flows using a drone and came across a structure resembling a castle. The mysterious castle, referred to by the locals as ‘Arap Zengi Castle’ or ‘Zeyn Castle’, was captured from the air for the first time by Salcıoğlu.
“I looked at the satellite images of Mount Tendurek,” said Muzaffer Salcıoğlu in an interview with the UAV reporter, stating that he captures images related to the history and nature of Van. Salcıoğlu also mentioned that he conducts research on the history of Van, saying, “I travel around Van in my spare time. I also read books about Van by Evliya Çelebi. During these researches, I came across an eruption in 1855 on Mount Tendurek. Later, this region caught my interest. I looked at the satellite images of Mount Tendurek. I researched the villages that could be most affected by the volcanic eruption. I noticed from the satellite images that half of the Soğuksu village in Çaldıran was engulfed by lava.”
“I got very excited and my fingers started to tremble,” Salcıoğlu said that after the satellite images, he went to the Soğuksu Neighborhood of Çaldıran, where he received information from the locals about the area. They told him that there were historical artifacts and structures like houses in the area of the lavas. This also caught my interest. I went there and flew the drone. While examining the area, I saw an elevation on the screen. Then I directed the drone there. There, I noticed a huge castle. At that moment, I got very excited and my fingers started to tremble. I couldn’t take the footage in one go because my hands were shaking. I extensively shot the castle, and it had a very nice appearance resembling a heart. On June 13, I shared these images on my social media accounts. I found no information about the castle. I was the first to discover and publish it. It received an incredible amount of attention.” Salcıoğlu, who wants the castle he captured among the extinct lava flows to be developed for tourism, noted that the castle could also be evaluated as a museum.