Lake Hazar: Source of the Tigris and Its Sunken City

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1. What is Lake Hazar?
2. How do you get to Lake Hazar?
3. When is the best time to visit Lake Hazar?
4. What is the history of Lake Hazar?
5. What is Lake Hazar famous for?
6. What can you do at Lake Hazar?
7. Frequently asked questions about Lake Hazar
8. What do the official records say about Lake Hazar?

What is Lake Hazar?

Lake Hazar (Hazar Gölü) is a long, deep lake in the mountains south-east of Elazığ, squeezed between the Hazar Baba and Mastar mountains along the line of the East Anatolian Fault. It is up to 22 km long and 6 km wide, and its outflow is the start of the Tigris, the river that runs on through Diyarbakır to Mesopotamia.

The 2002 inventory calls it the most important lake of eastern and southeastern Anatolia, with beaches of its own where people swim, practise water sports and fish. It notes that the lake changes appearance at every hour of the day, showing every shade of blue and green, and that its water is clear, without soda and without salt. In summer the shores around Sivrice fill with holidaymakers from Elazığ and the neighbouring provinces.

How do you get to Lake Hazar?

The lake is about 22 km south-east of Elazığ on the main road to Diyarbakır, which runs along its northern shore. Minibuses run from Elazığ to Sivrice, the district town on the lake. The nearest airport is Elazığ (EZS), with daily flights from Istanbul and Ankara. A car makes it easier to reach the beaches and the Hazar Baba ski centre, 6 km from Sivrice.

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When is the best time to visit Lake Hazar?

July and August for swimming, when the beaches and camping grounds are busiest; the inventory mentions a water-sports festival on the lake in these months. June and September are quieter and still warm. In winter the lake is a view rather than a beach, and the Hazar Baba ski centre above it opens when there is snow.

What is the history of Lake Hazar?

The lake sits in a basin formed by the East Anatolian Fault, and earthquakes are part of its story. On 24 January 2020 a magnitude 6.7 earthquake with its epicentre near Sivrice killed 41 people across the region.

The lake also hides a settlement. The inventory reports that research in 1990 discovered a sunken city in the lake, extending from around Kilise Adası (Church Island) towards Sivrice. In 2017 the mayor of Sivrice dived in the lake, and remains of churches, castle walls, pots and glazed plates from the Seljuk, Byzantine and Ottoman periods were reported; amphora tombs were found in 2019. Based on the Armenian chronicler Matthew of Edessa, researchers think a small fortress stood here in the Byzantine period and a monastery in the Seljuk period.

The lake’s name is recorded in Armenian as Tsovk; the Turkish name is Hazar Gölü.

What is Lake Hazar famous for?

• The source of the Tigris. One of the two rivers of Mesopotamia begins here.
• The sunken city under the water near Sivrice.
• Beaches in eastern Türkiye. The inventory notes that in 1997 one of the lake’s beaches received a Blue Flag.
• Legends. A smaller nearby lake, Dipsiz Göl (“Bottomless Lake”), is said to be a child of Lake Hazar: a bride who fell into it from an ox-cart reappeared months later when her henna-stained finger surfaced in Hazar.

What can you do at Lake Hazar?

Swim. There are public beaches and beaches belonging to holiday facilities on the lake shore, especially around Sivrice.

Take a boat tour. The provincial culture directorate promotes boat tours on the lake.

Camp. The inventory notes that camping by the lake is very popular in June, July and August, and that there are camping places along the shore.

Ski or walk on Hazar Baba. The ski centre on Hazar Baba (2,347 m), 6 km from Sivrice, opened in 1999. The inventory describes it as a viewing hill from which you can see both Lake Hazar and the Keban reservoir while you ski. In summer the mountain is good for walking, and the directorate lists an adventure park there.

Eat fish. The inventory notes fish restaurants (balık evleri) run by private operators around the lake, alongside day-use picnic areas and the recreation camps of many public institutions.

Drive around the lake. The main Elazığ–Diyarbakır road follows the northern shore, and side roads lead down to beaches and villages. Stop at viewpoints above Sivrice for the colour of the water, which changes through the day.

Frequently asked questions about Lake Hazar

What do the official records say about Lake Hazar?

It is 22 km from Elazığ, on the Elazığ–Diyarbakır highway, and is a tectonic lake squeezed between the Hazar Baba and Mastar mountains. It is the most important lake of the Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia regions, with beaches of its own, where water sports and fishing are practised. The lake takes on a different look at every hour of the day and shows every shade of blue and green. Its water is clear, without soda and without salt.

Around the lake, where the population grows during the summer months, research carried out in 1990 discovered that there is a sunken city in it, and this has given the lake an extra mystery. The sunken city, starting near the Kilise Adası of Lake Hazar, has been found to extend as far as Sivrice district. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Elazığ Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)

Main photo: Şenol zümrüt, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.