In the easternmost region of Turkey, it’s been reputed that an immense and strange animal has been lurking. This part of the world is not a major site for tourism, as it’s in the remote stretches of the Middle East. Lake Van sits just across the border from Iran and once told local lore of monstrous beasts fiercely protecting the highly religious region. While old Armenian lore tells of dragon-like vishaps living beneath the surface of the water, the modern version of the story dates back to 1889, when contemporary Ottoman publications reported large animals similar to giant crocodiles. History and culture there are strongly adapted from days of yore up until today. However, it wasn’t until 1993 when Turkish journalist Mehmet Cetingulec fessed up to creating an elaborate hoax during times of rising marine levels in an effort to lure more tourists to visit the area. Just 2 years later, extensive media hype caused reports and sightings to skyrocket, ultimately coming to a head in 1997 when a video that’s still hotly debated today was published by a local teaching assistant named Ünal Kozak. On the other hand, the truth is that such a creature, cryptid or otherwise, is highly unlikely to be confirmed or justified, as Lake Van is the world’s most alkaline lake and filled with salinity. The monster is often thought of as being similar in size and texture to an elephant, but this environment may only tolerate a few select species of smaller fish. So what are people really seeing? Is something defying the laws of aquatic biology?
What creature could be swimming in a Turkish lake?
Sounds like a hoax to me!