Lake Eymir

Lake Eymir
Lake Eymir
Location	Ankara Province, Turkey
Coordinates	39°49′27.22″N 32°49′43.91″E
Type	Lake
Max. length	4.2 kilometres (2.6 mi)
Max. width	250 metres (820 ft)
Surface area	108.8 hectares (1.088 km^2)
Average depth	3.80 metres (12.5 ft)
Max. depth	5.00 metres (16.40 ft)
Shore length^1	9 kilometres (5.6 mi)
^1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Eymir is a small lake in Ankara Province, Turkey. According to notes of Seyyah Kandemir published by the governorate of Ankara in 1932, the lake was named after a Turkmen tribe named Eymür.^[1]

Geography

The lake is about 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of the Ankara city center within the secondary municipality of Gölbaşı. The southern shore lies along the ring road O.20 of Ankara. The altitude of the water surface with respect to sea level is about 969 metres (3,179 ft). The shape of the lake roughly resembles the letter S.

The lake has a surface area of 108.8 hectares (1.088 km²). The length of the lake is approximately 4.2 kilometres (2.6 mi), the average width is about 250 metres (820 ft). and the circumferential length is about 9 kilometres (5.6 mi). The deepest point is at −5.5 metres (−18 ft) (dry season) with an average depth of the lake at 3.80 metres (12.5 ft) (dry season) and 5.00 metres (16.40 ft) (wet season).^[2]

Geology

The lake is an alluvial set lake. The main water input is a channel from the nearby Lake Mogan, some 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) at the south west. When the level of Lake Eymir increases beyond a certain level, the extra water is discharged to the River İmrahor.^[3] During the flood in 1910, Lake Mogan and Lake Eymir temporarily merged.^[1]

Near history

According to 1930 travel notes of Nahit Sırrı Örik the area surrounding the lake was arid land devoid of any green plantation. In 1956, 45 square kilometres (17 sq mi) land including Lake Eymir was allocated to the Middle East Technical University (Turkish: Ortadoğu Teknik Universitesi, ODTÜ) campus. Now ODTÜ is the only university in Turkey with a lake in the campus area. Immediately after 1956, the first rector of the university Kemal Kurdaş began a forestation project around the lake. Now most of the once-barren land is a pine forest. In 1995, Kemal Kurdas and Alattin Egemen, director of reforestation of the Middle East Technical University, shared the 1995 Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the re-forestation work done on 45 km² area of Middle East Technical University including Lake Eymir and surroundings.^[4]

Access

The lake has two entrances to the east and west, and it is open to public. Only cars with a special permit are admitted inside the lake area in order to eliminate the pollution and risk of traffic accidents. However the parking lots located near both entrances are free for use. For public use, there is a transportation services at the door to recreational areas.

References

1. "Citation by M. Bülent Varlık (ODTÜ'lüler Bülteni N.130 Belleten of Middle East Technical University)". Middle East Technical University. Archived from the original on 2011-05-16. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
2. Bathymetry and Bottom Sediments of Lake Eymir, South of Ankara
3. "Gölbaşı governor's page" (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 2011-09-04. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
4. "Re-Forestation Programme of METU, Ankara, Turkey". Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Archived from the original on 2012-04-25.