We recently covered the intriguing discovery of submerged ruins in Lake Van, a body of water located just 90 miles from the alleged site of Noah’s Ark. The findings have fueled intense speculation on the internet that the submerged masonry could be physical evidence of a massive biblical deluge or a lost prehistoric city.
But according to an archaeologist who has spent years studying the lake firsthand, the true story buried beneath the surface is very different.
The Unearthed Legacy Foundation reached out to connect GEEKSPIN with Ömer Tanyürek, an archaeologist, university lecturer, and author who has spent over two decades conducting research across this region of Türkiye. Tanyürek has personally plunged into Lake Van to document these sunken remains firsthand.
The Noah’s Ark connection
The geographic overlap between Lake Van and biblical traditions has fueled centuries of speculation, but Tanyürek emphasizes that location alone proves little.
“The story of Noah’s Flood and Noah’s Ark is extremely interesting in terms of both regional history and cultural memory,” Tanyürek told GEEKSPIN. “The geographical proximity of Mount Ararat to Lake Van naturally encourages people to connect the two. However, in archaeology, geographical proximity alone is not sufficient to establish a historical connection between two phenomena.”
He is clear about what current science can prove.
“At present, we do not have direct empirical archaeological evidence that allows us to connect the underwater archaeological remains in Lake Van with Noah’s Ark or with the flood described in sacred texts.”
Rather than pointing to a single apocalyptic surge of water, the lake’s geological and sedimentological data reveals a body of water that has expanded and contracted repeatedly over millennia.
“Geological and palaeoclimatic studies show that the level of Lake Van fluctuated substantially over thousands of years,” Tanyürek explained. “The evidence currently available is more consistent with repeated shoreline shifts than with a single demonstrated catastrophic flood.”
Lost civilization or medieval stronghold?
Recent viral commentary claimed the lake floor hides an expansive, 11,000-year-old urban center resting at depths of 75 feet. When asked about those metrics, Tanyürek set the record straight on what has actually been documented.
“My dive at the location featured in the recent coverage was at approximately 5 metres, not approximately 23 metres,” Tanyürek said. “The most distinctive architectural feature I examined was an intentionally constructed oval bastion. Its architectural characteristics and the figurative element I observed suggest a possible medieval context, although this remains a preliminary interpretation rather than a secure date.”
He pushed back directly against claims placing the masonry into deep antiquity.
“The claim that this structure represents an 11,000-year-old civilization is not supported by the currently available evidence; reliable archaeological dating would be needed to establish its age,” he noted. “There is an important difference between being a skilled diver who can obtain impressive underwater footage and conducting underwater archaeology.”
Regarding the reported 150-foot causeway, circular ruins, and seven-tier walls, Tanyürek cautioned that they require systematic survey data before their dimensions or functions can be verified. Instead of a single prehistoric complex, what exists appears to be a defensive fortification rebuilt across generations.
Preliminary observations suggest the lower foundations show hints of Early Iron Age building traditions – a period associated with the Kingdom of Urartu – while upper sections, including the bastion, look like medieval modifications.
“This is a very familiar pattern in archaeology,” Tanyürek said. “Once a strategically important location is selected, later societies often reuse the same walls and foundations, repair them, or add their own structures.”
What is really hiding under the lake
Debunking sensational timelines does not mean Lake Van is devoid of ancient prehistoric secrets. In fact, Tanyürek believes the lake’s authentic prehistoric landscape could be far more compelling than modern myths.
Because water levels have shifted dramatically across the epochs, areas submerged today were dry shorelines during the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods.
“Projecting the modern shoreline backwards into the Palaeolithic or Neolithic is therefore a serious methodological mistake,” Tanyürek explained. “The Lake Van basin contains important obsidian sources within the prehistoric Near East. Archaeometric research shows that obsidian, particularly from Nemrut Dağı and other sources in the Lake Van region, was transported over considerable distances during the Neolithic.”
This confirms the basin was an active hub in early trade networks, raising the possibility that genuine prehistoric sites sit preserved along older, deeply submerged shorelines.
“The next major discovery may not be the structure that receives the most attention today,” Tanyürek said. “It may be waiting within an ancient shoreline landscape, now underwater, that has not yet been systematically investigated. Lake Van does not need legends to make it extraordinary. The story revealed by the scientific evidence is already fascinating enough.”