The castle site was discovered at the bottom of Lake Van, Turkey's largest lake, and is said to be around one square kilometre, with walls up to four metres high.
The castle-like structure, referred to as The Kingdom of Van, would have been built when the water levels were much lower around 3,000 years ago, estimates say. The ancient Urartu civilisation is said to have built the fortress during the Iron Age.
The Kingdom of Van has been searched for by archaeologists for years, and researchers have plans to further study and map the discovered site. Due to high alkaline levels in the water, the ruins have been well preserved even after centuries of being submerged.
Despite having extensively researched the area in the past, researchers began study of the area after rumours surfaced of sunken ruins. “There was a rumour that there might be something under the water but most archaeologists and museum officials told us that we won’t find anything,” diving team leader Tahsin Ceylan told reporters.