Lake Van, an alkaline lake located near Van district on the Eastern part of Turkey, is the largest lake in the country. There is a legend that tries to explain the origin of lake Van. It is said that during the floods in Noah’s time, his Ark settled on the slopes of Ararat. When the water level went down on other parts of the earth, water remained on the closed up ridges of the high areas. Its basin is of tectonic origin, surrounded by several mountainous systems: The Eastern Tavr from the south, Kurdish mountains from the East and the Aladaglar ridge on the North-east. On the West and North-west are several extinct vlcanoes including the Syunhan and the Nermut strato-volcanoes.

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