With the start of the Van Lake Swimming Festival, which was organized by Van Municipality to promote Anatolian culture and boost tourism, swimmers from across the country came to swim in Lake Van. They showed great interest in Nemrut Cater Lake, Türkiye’s largest crater lake.

The festival, organized to increase the interest of local and foreign tourists in Lake Van and Nemrut Crater Lake, located at an altitude of 2,800 meters (9,186 feet), continued on its fourth day at the crater lake in the Tatvan district of the eastern province of Bitlis.

While the crowd swam in the crater lake, security forces took precautions around the region.

Meanwhile, nearly 200 athletes from other provinces of Türkiye came to Van to take part in the festival.

All participants of the festival came together at the Diving School in Edremit district and dived to see the world’s largest microbialites, also known as "fairy chimneys," located at the bottom of Lake Van, accompanied by professional divers.

Mehmet Nuri Bekiroğlu, head of the municipality’s Culture and Social Affairs Department, stated that participation in the festival was exceptionally high this year.

"This year, we have increased our safety precautions. We have carried out activities to eliminate all kinds of adversities that might threaten the safety of the people. We keep expert rescue teams ready for any kind of accident. Our main goal in holding this festival is to introduce the unique beauty of Van to people both in and outside the borders of our country."

The festival ended on July 23 with another swimming event on Akdamar Island.