Ancient fortress ruins lie beneath Lake Van, Türkiye. In 2017, Van Yüzüncü Yıl University archaeologists and divers, including Tosun Ceylan, found the Ağırnas/Kızkalesi site. The ruins are about 40–85 feet (12–26 metres) down, extend roughly half a kilometre, and include massive stone-block walls and a circular, temple-like structure. Sources describe the site as an Urartian fortress from around 3,000 years ago. Lake Van is Turkey’s largest and deepest lake and is often ranked 13th or 14th deepest globally, but at about 451 metres it is far shallower than Lake Baikal’s roughly 1,642 metres. The video argues that these are the world’s deepest confirmed underwater ruins; the sources reviewed do not independently establish that ranking.
Video argues Lake Van holds the world’s deepest confirmed underwater ruins
TürkiyeUnderwater
Site mentioned
Key facts
- Lake Van is commonly listed as the 13th- or 14th-deepest lake in the world; its maximum depth is about 451 metres, far less than Lake Baikal’s roughly 1,642 metres.
- The remains were found in 2017 in the Ağırnas/Kızkalesi area by Van Yüzüncü Yıl University archaeologists and divers, including Tosun Ceylan.
- The ruins lie roughly 40–85 feet (12–26 metres) below the surface and extend about half a kilometre.
- The site is described as an Urartian fortress or castle from around 3,000 years ago, with massive stone-block walls and a circular, temple-like structure.
- The video presents the ruins as the world’s deepest confirmed underwater ruins; the cited archaeological reports do not independently establish that ranking.
Sources
thestageoftime.com
Linked in video description
thestageoftime.com
Linked in video description
Lake Vanen.wikipedia.org
The ruins of the medieval city of Van are still visible below the southern slopes of the rock on which Van Castle stands.
Ancient underwater city found in Turkish lake 'near resting ...aol.com
A diving team recently found a circular structure and interlocking stone blocks estimated to be over 11,000 years old, 75 feet below the surface ...
The True Story Behind Turkey's Ancient 'Underwater Castle'livescience.com
The castle found beneath the surface of Lake Van in Turkey may have been built 3,000 years ago by ancient people called the Urartians, but ...
Ancient Ruins Discovered Under Lake in Turkeynationalgeographic.com
Video shows the remains of an ancient fortress sitting hidden beneath the lake's surface.
Van Fortressen.wikipedia.org
The Fortress of Van is a massive stone fortification built by the ancient kingdom of Urartu during the 9th to 7th centuries BC, and is the largest example ...
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