As a result of Turkey’s agricultural policy that has developed since the 1950s, lakes in different provinces have been dried within the scope of expanding agricultural areas. Amik is one of the lakes that were dried in this context. Amik Lake, which was once an important water source for Antakya, which has hosted different cultures from the past to the present, has an important place in the history of the city. Since the lake used to cause floods since the past, the idea of drying was on the agenda during the Ottoman period, the French mandate administration and the administration of the Hatay state. These attempts continued after the annexation of Hatay to Turkey. In this context, a number of researches were carried out and reports were prepared by experts from abroad.The gradual drying of the lake in the 1970s in the Republican period has brought many discussions on the city agenda from the past to the present. This study is part of a scientific research project focusing on the economic aspects of drying Amik Lake. A detailed literature study was carried out within the scope of the project, and the works of wanderers traveled around Antakya in the past were also examined. Within the scope of field research, 19 people from Arpahan, Küçükdalyan, Paşaköy, Bakras, Muratpaşa, Torun, Büyükdalyan, Serinyol and Topboğazı villages around the old lake mirror, two people ran the lake commercially and two people from the institutions and key actors in the city were interviewed. In line with the information obtained from the in-depth interviews and the literature, the economy of the lake, the local and international dimension of fish and bird hunting, the process leading to drying, the land sharing after drying, and the ideas and memories of the city residents about the drying of the lake today were brought together. In line with the written and oral information obtained, it is understood that the lake was dried with motives such as drying the swamp areas in accordance with the spirit of the period, preventing malaria, expanding the agricultural areas and providing land to the farmers. By the help of the acquired field study data, it is aimed to assess the effects of drying operation on local people. Although a period of approximately 50 years has passed since the drying of the lake, agricultural areas remain under water due to heavy rains even today. This keeps the criticisms and narratives about the drying of the lake alive.