Nemrut Caldera

Nemrut Caldera is the caldera of Mount Nemrut located in the province of Bitlis, Turkey.

Features

Nemrut Caldera was formed in the Middle Pleistocene period by the inward collapse of the conical summit of Mount Nemrut and has dimensions of 8.3×7 km. With this characteristic it is the first largest caldera in Turkey, the fourth largest in Europe and the sixteenth largest in the world. In the western half of the caldera there are Lake Nemrut, Ilı Lake and another volcanic crater lake, while in the eastern half there are pyroclastic deposits. The caldera, with an area of 46.7 km2 and a volume of 32.9 km3, has a maximum rim height (Sivritepe on the northern rim) of 2,935 m above sea level. The average height of the caldera rims above the ground is 600 m. The lowest point of the caldera, which is also the deepest point of Lake Nemrut, is at 2,071 m above sea level.

Conservation status

Nemrut Caldera was declared a nature monument on 31 October 2003, a Ramsar site on 17 April 2013, and a national park on 19 August 2026. It also has Important Bird Area status together with Mount Nemrut, of which it is a part.