Beyşehir Gölü Milli Parkı

Lake Beyşehir lies at the eastern end of the Lake District, on the border between Konya and Isparta provinces, and is known as the largest freshwater lake in Turkey. According to Turkish Wikipedia, about eighty percent of the lake lies in Konya and twenty percent in Isparta. The lake sits in a tectonic basin enclosed by the Taurus Mountains to the west and south, the volcanic Erenler Dağı to the east, and the Sultan Mountains and Anamas Dağı to the northwest. The Beyşehir district governorship notes that the surrounding mountains rise above two thousand metres. The shores of the lake were declared a national park by a cabinet decision on 20 February 1993. The governorship and Wikipedia both give the protected area as 88,750 hectares, and it is described as the largest national park in Turkey. On the Isparta side there is a separate protected area, Kızıldağ National Park, founded in 1969. Lake Beyşehir is therefore the only water body in the country protected within two separate national parks. Measurements vary with the source and the water level; the governorship gives the surface area as 651 square kilometres. The lake stretches about 45 kilometres from northwest to southeast. Wikipedia puts its greatest width at 24 kilometres, while the governorship gives 25 kilometres. The lake is shallow, and the deepest point given by all sources is only 10 metres. Its surface lies about 1,115 to 1,123 metres above sea level, the difference depending on the period of measurement. The lake reaches its highest level in May and its lowest in October. English Wikipedia notes that in recent years drought has pushed the shoreline back by about 300 metres. The lake holds 33 islands of various sizes, formed by the tops of submerged hills. According to the governorship and the municipality, the larger islands are clustered in the western half of the lake. The largest is Mada Island, which still has a village on it today. Hacı Akif Island is known for a cave about 100 metres long with stalactites and stalagmites. İğdeli Island, with its red sand beaches and coves, is the most popular island for visitors. Çeçen Island holds ruins of historic buildings and the remains of a tiled bathhouse; the governorship writes that its tiles are displayed in the museum in Konya. The lake is an important site for birdwatchers. According to the Beyşehir municipality, in September and October ducks, grebes, kingfishers, terns, storks and gulls gather in flocks of tens of thousands. With the arrival of coots and geese, the total number of birds on the lake passes fifty thousand by the end of October. Because the islands are far from hunting pressure, they provide breeding grounds for cormorants, herons and birds of prey. The first known breeding colonies of the Dalmatian pelican were also recorded on these islands. The lake is home mainly to carp, along with perch, tench, chub and mirror carp. The shores of the lake have been settled for a very long time, and the rise and fall of the water shaped the fate of these settlements. Wikipedia notes that when the water recedes, traces of old settlements emerge from the lake bed, and some mounds such as Kuşluca can only be seen at such times. In the Seljuk period the Kubadabad Palace was built on the southwestern shore, and a structure known as Kız Kalesi was raised on the small island opposite it. The national park therefore covers not only nature but also the cultural heritage of the Seljuk era. The easiest point of access to the lake is the town of Beyşehir. The Çarşamba stream, the lake's only outlet, runs through the town, and over this channel stands the Taşköprü, built between 1908 and 1914. According to English Wikipedia, the structure was built as both a bridge and a weir to regulate floods, and today it is a historic crossing used only by pedestrians. From the bridge and the nearby shore you can see the open water, the reed beds and the mountains behind them together. The forest cover of the national park is made up of juniper, black pine, fir, cedar and oak, and in places the trees come right down to the shore. The busiest season for visits runs from May to October; for birdwatching, autumn is more rewarding. In winter the surface of the lake may freeze partly or completely. Local boat trips to the shore villages and islands vary by season, so check current information with the Beyşehir municipality. There are regular bus services from central Konya to Beyşehir, but a private vehicle is much more practical for touring the lakeshore.