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The marine isotope stage (MIS) 5a to 4 transition (∼74 ka) was associated with rapid ice sheet expansion, declining moisture availability globally, and significant upheaval of terrestrial ecosystems across the northern hemisphere. Here, we present precisely dated speleothem trace element records spanning ∼90 to 70 ka from Dim Cave (Southern Türkiye) which provide crucial information regarding the climate response to this transition from the Eastern Mediterranean region. Trace element variability recorded in stalagmite DIM-E3 captures shifts in detrital influx, bedrock dissolution, and soil activity that collectively record two climatic signals: (1) high regional moisture availability between MIS 5c and 5b, and (2) increasingly arid conditions across the MIS 5a to MIS 4 transition. Both are contemporaneous with evidence for severe drying recorded across the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, as well as Asia, Europe, South America, and the North Atlantic. These results shed new light on the environmental consequences of rapid change in a climatologically sensitive region, and underscore the significance of atmospheric teleconnections in propagation of abrupt climate variability during the last glacial period. • The MIS 5-to-4 transition (∼74 ka) requires closer study in the Eastern Mediterranean. • We present precisely dated speleothem trace element records spanning ∼90 to 70 ka from Dim Cave (S. Türkiye). • Speleothem DIM-E3 records distinct changes in detrital influx, bedrock dissolution, and soil activity. • An abrupt shift to aridity is observed across the MIS 5a to MIS 4 transition. • Results underscore the consequences of rapid climate change in this hydroclimatically-sensitive region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]