Lake Akdoğan, also called Lake Hamurpert, is the name of two neighbouring Crater lakes on the Akdoğan Mountains in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. They are separated by a land strip of about . They are both high-altitude lakes located in

Varto Varto (; or , ''Varto'') is a town in Muş Province, Turkey. It is the seat of Varto District.Muş Province.

History

The word Xamurpert means 'Dried castle' in

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

. According to Gukas Inchichyan, it is said that a bey (melik) dynasty of Sasun origin ruled in the Xamurpert or Xamlpert castle in these mountains until the 1760s.

Geology and geomorphology

As a result of the volcanic eruptions in the Akdoğan Mountains. Akdoğan crater lakes were formed. The complete melting of the snow around the lakes takes place at the end of May. With the arrival of May, the habitats around the lakes have been revived.

Bigger lake

Lake Akdoğan () is at . Its elevation with respect to sea level is and its maximum depth is . Its surface area is about Culture portal
/ref> The snow from Akdoğan mountains feeds it, and the excess water pours into İskender creek. Big Akdoğan is 3,971 meters wide and 6,185 meters long.

Smaller lake

Lake Small Akdoğan () is at . Its elevation with respect to sea level is and its maximum depth is . Its surface area is . It feeds the main lake through an underground creek. Small Akdoğan is 2,243 meters long and 964 meters wide.

Biota

Flora

The main plant species in the Akdoğan Lakes are toxic Ferula and non-toxic Ferula, Rheum ribes, Gundelia,

Sorrel Sorrel (''Rumex acetosa''), also called common sorrel or garden sorrel, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Polygonaceae. Other names for sorrel include spinach dock and narrow-leaved dock ("dock" being a common name for the genus ''Ru ...

, Arum maculatum, Eremurus spectabilis, Diplotaenia cachrydifolia Boiss, Chaerophyllum macrospermum,

Thymus (plant) The genus ''Thymus'' ( ; thymes) contains about 350 species of aromatic perennial plant, perennial herbaceous plants and subshrubs in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World. Several members of the genus are cultivated as culinary he ...

, Paeonia turcica, Astragalus kurdicus and Euphorbia sp. In addition, there are Pleurotus eryngii var. ferulae mushrooms in every part of the Lakes. Frangula alnus and Prunus cerasifera are located on the humid shores of the lake. Oak tree,

Crataegus monogyna ''Crataegus monogyna'', known as common hawthorn, whitethorn, one-seed hawthorn, or single-seeded hawthorn, is a species of flowering plant in the rose family, Rosaceae. It grows to about tall, producing plant sexuality, hermaphrodite flowers i ...

, Malus sylvestris,

Prunus mahaleb ''Prunus mahaleb'', the mahaleb cherry or St Lucie cherry, is a species of cherry tree. The tree is cultivated for a spice obtained from the seeds inside the cherry stones. The seeds have a fragrant smell and have a taste comparable to bitter alm ...

, Rosa canina and Cotoneaster nummularius are other trees around the lake.

Fauna

The main fish in the lake is the common carp. The primary birds living on the lake are ducks, geese, and cranes. There are also many Bears around the lake. Other animals in the region are

Wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, includin ...

, Fox, Pig,

Partridge A partridge is a medium-sized Galliformes, galliform bird in any of several genera, with a wide Indigenous (ecology), native distribution throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Several species have been introduced to the Americas. They ar ...

Lynx A lynx ( ; : lynx or lynxes) is any of the four wikt:extant, extant species (the Canada lynx, Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx and the bobcat) within the medium-sized wild Felidae, cat genus ''Lynx''. The name originated in Middle Engl ...

Turtle Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...

, Williams's jerboa, Caspian turtle and European green lizard.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lake Akdoğan Landforms of Muş Province Akdoğan Important Bird Areas of Turkey