Keşiş Gölü
natural · 900 BC – 2099 AD
Keşiş Gölü (“Priest Lake”), which known today as Turna Gölü, is an artificially-created lake located 23 km east of Van, in the Varak Dağı massif. The lake was made by the Urartian king Rusa, son of Erimena, to ensure a constant water supply water supply of the capital Tušpa. Four Urartian inscriptions, including a rock relief, were discovered in its vicinity. The upper part of a stele, the so-called Keşiş Göl stele (CTU I A 14-1), records the creation of Rusai Sue (“Lake Rusa”).
- Coordinates
- 38.46760, 43.60693
- Also known as
- Rusai Sue (xur), Turna Gölü (tr)
- Dating
- attested
Sources
- Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places · CC BY 3.0Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places (CC BY 3.0)