Eastern Türkiye's Lake Van, the country's largest lake, is seeing increasingly receding shorelines due to a declining rate of precipitation and evaporation aggravated by higher temperatures.

Besides affecting the surrounding region, the severe drought has left exposed thousand-year-old stalagmites (microbialites) or "underwater fairy chimneys."

Stalagmites have appeared at many points on the shores of Lake Van, which experienced a decrease in water levels due to the decrease in precipitation and rapid evaporation.

While Professor Mustafa Akkuş of Van Yüzüncü Yıl University's Faculty of Fisheries warned that the drought's impact on the lake will only worsen.

The impacts of the drought are quite clear, not just in marshlands but also in Lake Van, according to Ayhan Şahna at the Regional Directorate of State Hydraulic Works.

"Now that we have looked at Lake Van's average for the past 10 years, we can see that there has been a 140-centimeter reduction," said Akkuş.

"The wind erosion gradually destroys the microorganisms that were exposed with the receding water and the exposed stalagmites can’t be shielded."

Microbialites can also be viewed underwater on the coasts of Erciş, Gevaş and Edremit. Their appearance has attracted the attention of nature lovers and photography enthusiasts, as well as scientists.

Experts studying the living microorganisms on stalagmites, some as large as 32.2 meters, fear they will disappear over time due to wind erosion and adverse weather conditions.

Şahna said Lake Van has been one of the places most affected by drought in recent years.

"The lake is gradually shrinking. We see the effects of drought very clearly. This situation is only worsening continues. We are hoping for some rain. Water is extremely valuable here. We need a good water management system to use our water efficiently," he said.

Akkuş said many new structures have emerged with the withdrawal of water at the lake.

He labeled the microbialites as one of Lake Van's biggest mysteries.

"There are calcium-rich freshwater outlets at the bottom of the lake. These fresh waters begin to accumulate and precipitate in the lake with carbonate-rich waters. With this precipitation, some of the world's largest microbialites appear. Microbialites are also found in different lakes of the world. But these are over 30 meters tall," he added.

"The depths of the lake resemble an open-air museum. These structures are ecologically very valuable. The 800,000-year-old history of Lake Van is hidden in these microbialites, which grow very slowly."

"We know that even a centimeter of it is formed over hundreds or thousands of years. People other than scuba divers have not seen these structures until now as the lake recedes," he said.

The many exposed stalagmites on the shores create an alien landscape that looks like cities made up of small skyscrapers.

But their formation through the mixture of soda water and fresh waters coming out of the lake floor has come to an end due to exposure to air.

Provincial representative of Türkiye Underwater Sports Federation, Serkan Ök, said many nature enthusiasts dive into the lake every year to see the microbialites.

"However, the sudden withdrawal of water is causing their disappearance. There has been a serious withdrawal in the last two years. It negatively affects the existence of these formations, which are of great value. Those exposed to the sun and air disappear and turn into rocky structures. Even if the water rises again, they will not live again."