Historic gravestones found under Lake Van

Underwater photographer Tahsin Ceylan, who previously discovered coral which was thousands of years old during his research in Turkey's eastern Lake Van, recently found a pier built with Seljuk-era gravestones. 
During a dive around the pier in Van's Gevaş district, Ceylan, along with Van Yüzüncü Yıl University Faculty of Aquaculture member Prof. Mustafa Sarı and diving instructor Murat Kulakaç, found the pier underwater. 

Examinations have revealed that the pier was made of gravestones removed from a Seljuk-era graveyard south of the Van-Bitlis highway. 

Ceylan said he had been diving in the lake for years to examine its original ecosystem, document the life of its indigenous pearl mullets, record the world's biggest macrobiotics and learn about its underwater structures. 

He said he came to the eastern city of Van in 1994 in order to research Lake Van monster claims, adding he had found historical remnants during his research. 

A unique geography

Stating that he was not able to record the remains because their tools were technologically inadequate, Ceylan said: 

"I have not shared the location of [these] historical remains with someone for a long time. Then I shared it with the museum director but people kept it as a secret to prevent people from looting them. After a long time, I told the mayor about the issue during an event in the district and we dove into this place. We photographed the remains underground. I think that we made a contribution to Van with this discovery. I believe that many underwater photographers will want to come here because Lake Van is a living organism. It is a unique geography and is home to many unique structures." 

'We were upset during diving' 

Sarı...