Lake Köyceğiz
Encyclopedia
Having an area of 5200 hectares, Lake Köyceğiz in the province of Muğla
is one of the vastest coastal lakes of Turkey
. It bears the name of the town of Köyceğiz
, situated on its north bank. It is connected to the Mediterranean through a narrow and reedy channel called "Dalyan" which flows by a township of the same name (Dalyan
) and the ancient city of Kaunos
. Dalyan channel joins the sea at İztuzu Beach
.
The surroundings of the lake as a whole and particularly the banks of its Dalyan sea connection are important nature reserves and popular tourist attractions.
They are part of the Köyceğiz-Dalyan Special Environmental Protection Area
and mildly brackish, oxygenated water that flows upriver with the rising tide. The depth of the lake varies from 20 to 60 metres. The lake is abundant with fish.
At the northeast and southeast of Köyceğiz Lake there are plains, whereas other parts are surrounded by hills. The highest of these are Ölemez Mountain (937 meter) in the southwest, and Bozburun Tepesi (556 meter) in the south. In the lake there are five uninhabited islands, one of them known as Hapishane Adası , Prison Island. Initially the island was used for military purposes, then turned into a prison island. It is no longer in use as such and deserted.
, bordered by several sulfurous hot springs, amongst others Sultaniye Spa.
On the banks north of Sultaniye, northwest of Hamitköy, at Köyceğiz, at Kavakarası and at Tepearası, there are still vast marshy forests with the endemic Oriental Gumtree
. The species primarily occurs in the province of Muğla, near Marmaris and in the Köyceğiz-Dalyan SEPA. The small wetlands around the lake are interesting because of their birdlife. The area attracts many birdwatchers. The area is also rich with reptiles (tortoises, turtles, terrapins, snakes) and insects (dragonflies, damselflies).
Mugla Province
Muğla Province is a province of Turkey, at the country's south-western corner, on the Aegean Sea. Its seat is Muğla, about inland, while some of Turkey's largest holiday resorts, such as Bodrum, Ölüdeniz, Marmaris and Fethiye, are on the coast in Muğla....
is one of the vastest coastal lakes of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. It bears the name of the town of Köyceğiz
Köycegiz
Köyceğiz is a town and district of Muğla Province in the Aegean region of Turkey.The town of Köyceğiz lies at the northern end of a lake of the same name which is joined to the Mediterranean Sea by a natural channel called Dalyan. Its unique environment is being preserved as a nature and wildlife...
, situated on its north bank. It is connected to the Mediterranean through a narrow and reedy channel called "Dalyan" which flows by a township of the same name (Dalyan
Dalyan
Dalyan is a town in Muğla Province located between the well-known districts of Marmaris and Fethiye on the south-west coast of Turkey. The town is an independent municipality, within the administrative district of Ortaca....
) and the ancient city of Kaunos
Kaunos
Kaunos was a city of ancient Caria and in Anatolia, a few km west of the modern town of Dalyan, Muğla Province, Turkey....
. Dalyan channel joins the sea at İztuzu Beach
Iztuzu Beach
İztuzu Beach is a 4.5km long beach near Dalyan, in the Ortaca district of the Province of Muğla in southwestern Turkey. The beach is a narrow spit of land, which forms a natural barrier between the fresh water delta of the Dalyan river and the Mediterranean...
.
The surroundings of the lake as a whole and particularly the banks of its Dalyan sea connection are important nature reserves and popular tourist attractions.
They are part of the Köyceğiz-Dalyan Special Environmental Protection Area
Köyceğiz-Dalyan Special Environmental Protection Area
The Köyceğiz-Dalyan Special Environmental Protection Area is a protected natural reserve in the Turkish province of Muğla. In June 1988 it was determined and declared the first protected area of its kind of Turkey. In 1990 the original SPA area was extended westwards...
Characterization
The lake is fed by the Namnam and Yuvarlakçay rivers and a number of mountain brooks. The water of brooks, melting water and fresh water wells, mixes with warm sulfurous water that is released from a faultFault
Fault may refer to:*Fault , planar rock fractures which show evidence of relative movement*Fault , in dog breeding, is an undesirable aspect of structure or appearance that indicates the dog should not be bred...
and mildly brackish, oxygenated water that flows upriver with the rising tide. The depth of the lake varies from 20 to 60 metres. The lake is abundant with fish.
At the northeast and southeast of Köyceğiz Lake there are plains, whereas other parts are surrounded by hills. The highest of these are Ölemez Mountain (937 meter) in the southwest, and Bozburun Tepesi (556 meter) in the south. In the lake there are five uninhabited islands, one of them known as Hapishane Adası , Prison Island. Initially the island was used for military purposes, then turned into a prison island. It is no longer in use as such and deserted.
Geology
The lake was formed about 7500 years ago, when the entire eatern part of the Mediterranean was afflicted by earthquakes. At the south side of Köyceğiz Lake, there is a NW - SE fault lineFault line
In geology, fault line refers to the surface trace of a fault.Fault line, Fault Line, or faultline may also refer to:* "Faultline", a song from the 2008 studio album Versus by The Haunted...
, bordered by several sulfurous hot springs, amongst others Sultaniye Spa.
Special Protection Area
The lake has evolved into an ecologically important area. Together with its banks and the Dalyan basin it comprises the Köyceğiz-Dalyan Special Environmental Protection Area.On the banks north of Sultaniye, northwest of Hamitköy, at Köyceğiz, at Kavakarası and at Tepearası, there are still vast marshy forests with the endemic Oriental Gumtree
Liquidambar orientalis
Liquidambar orientalis, commonly known as oriental sweetgum or Turkish sweetgum, is a deciduous tree in the genus Liquidambar, native to the eastern Mediterranean region, that occurs as pure stands mainly in the flood plains of southwestern Turkey and on the Greek island of Rhodes.-Biotope:The...
. The species primarily occurs in the province of Muğla, near Marmaris and in the Köyceğiz-Dalyan SEPA. The small wetlands around the lake are interesting because of their birdlife. The area attracts many birdwatchers. The area is also rich with reptiles (tortoises, turtles, terrapins, snakes) and insects (dragonflies, damselflies).
External links and other sources
- Köyceğiz-Dalyan Special Environmental Protection Area; Environmental Protection Agency for Special Areas
- History surfaces from Köyceğiz Lake, Land of Lights, October 28th, 2010
- Dynamics of Lake Köyceğiz, SW Turkey: An environmental isotopic and hydrochemical study, C.S. BAYARI, T. KURTTAS, L. TEZCAN
- Dalyan 2005 Gezi Kitabı, Fatih Akaslan, ISBN 975-270-471-9
- Köyceğiz-Dalyan (A journey through the history within the labyrinth of nature, Altan Türe, Faya Kültür Yayınları-1, 2011, ISBN 978-978-605-3
- Cornucopia magazine, 20th edition, 2000: Reflections on Water; The Lake: part 1; author: Lady Patricia Daunt