Lake Van

The largest soda lake on the planet is located in Turkey and is called Van. However, locals habitually consider it a sea, and the current name of the reservoir is relatively recent: as one state was replaced by others, the lake changed its name.

In the time of Urartu (and this is the period from the 9th to the 6th centuries BC), the reservoir was most likely called Tospitis. This word is related to the name of the city of Tushpa, which at that time was located on the shore of the lake and was the capital of the ancient state. When Urartu ceased to exist and the ancient Armenians settled in these places, the lake retained the name Tosp (or Tosb) for some time, and after that it began to be designated by the name of the clans ruling in the reservoir area: the Rishtuni or the Byznuni Sea. The name Van lake was adopted from a Turkish town located near its eastern shore ("van" from Armenian means "village, place of residence").

The length is approximately 120 km.
The maximum width reaches about 80 km.
The area is 3,574 km2.
The maximum depth is 451 m, which makes it one of the deepest lakes in the world.
The average depth is 161.2 m.
The volume of water in the lake is 576 km3.
The coastline is 430 km long.
The height above sea level is 1,648 m.

The shape of the Van is a bit like a triangle divided into two unequal parts: a small northern one with shallow depths and a large and very deep southern one. Lake Van is located high in the mountains and is surrounded on all sides by extinct volcanoes, ridges and mountain systems. Rivers feed it from the north and from the east, and yet most of the water enters the lake during the melting of snow on the surrounding peaks: that is why by July the water in Van rises by almost half a meter. Although there is also a possibility that these fluctuations occur for other reasons.

In the 90s, the water in the Van suddenly rose by almost 3 meters and only a few years later it receded slightly, approaching the previous level. In addition, the terraces on the shores of the lake are clear evidence that in the past the water level of the Van was several tens of meters higher. There are also studies confirming that 17 thousand years ago, Van completely dried up, and then arose anew. Scientists are still wondering why the nature of the reservoir is so changeable.

In summer, the air in the Van area warms up to +23°C on average, and in winter the average temperature is about -4°C. At the same time, even in the harshest winters, when there are forty-degree frosts, salt water does not allow the lake to be covered with ice. The composition of the water in the Bath is also distinguished by the presence of sodium salts: thanks to them, water from the lake can be washed and washed without using any additional means such as soap. A couple of decades ago, there was no one in the area of Lake Van except local residents: tourists did not even think about leaving the coast of Turkey and going off-road into the interior of the country. However, the situation has changed dramatically recently. Roads and hotels are being built in the vicinity of Van, numerous historical monuments are being reconstructed, and PR specialists are working. In particular, local media are increasingly reporting that the forgotten Armenian legend of the Van monster is not a legend at all.

Both the tabloid press and popular science publications now and then publish articles with "confirmation" that a certain gigantic creature really lives in the waters of the Van. Tourists saw his fifteen-meter neck, then Japanese scientists captured the monster on camera. At the same time, the quality of numerous images is so low that even the headquarters of scientists, specially created at the University of Van to study the "problem", cannot decide whether the monster still lives in the waters of the lake or not. But the flow of tourists is growing from year to year: every newcomer to the shores of Van now hopes not only to see the monster with his own eyes, but also to become famous by taking the best photo of the mysterious creature.

To get to Lake Van, you should focus on the city of the same name, located on its shore. When going on vacation to Turkey, you can take a plane ticket not to Istanbul or Antalya, but to Van. In addition, Van is connected by rail and highway to all major cities of the country, therefore, after spending a few days at the seaside, you can diversify your vacation with a trip to the famous salt lake.