Bathing in lakes!

Where to bathe?

The Caspian Sea is a nostalgia to the Iranians, but there are several abundant lakes which could be as beautiful as the Caspian Sea. Perhaps, one reason why Jazmurian Lake is not highly visited is that the roads leading off to the lake are not as beautiful as what is seen on North’s roads. But, the lakes in Iran are beautiful enough to pay one single visit at least.
Regarding the weather conditions in the country , the lakes are divided into two seasonal and permanent groups. Permanent ones are more scattered in humid and semi- humid areas in Alborz, Azerbaijan, Kurdistan and Zagros.In contrast , the seasonal lakes lie in the end of river’s mouths and streams in the central and eastern parts of the country.

Hamun Jazmurian in Sistan

The lake is about 150 km west of Iranshahr. It’s 350 meters above sea level.
At 1,097 square kilometers , almost all year round, the lake has mud and salt water as a result of intense evaporation. When rainy seasons arrive, the area reaches 3,300 square kilometers . Countless permanent and temporary rivers and streams pour into the lake among which are Halil Rud, Bampur, Cheshme Arus.
The freshwater of the rivers change along the path as a result of dissolution and therefore it’s a salt-water lake.
Unfortunately the water level is decreasing and this is no good news.

Maharlu Lake in Fars

The lake is located about 180km southeast of Shiraz. It used to be called Eljankan. It covers an area of 257 square kilometers ( in abundant water years it reaches 280 square kilometers). The catchment area is over 500 square kilometers. With half a meter depth, it is 1,460meters above sea level. Its water is supplied by branches of Pol-e Fasa river originating in Qible mountains , southwest of shiraz, as well as freshwater underground springs in the bed of the river , moderating the salt.

Tar and Hoyer lakes

The tectonic lakes are situated 30 km east of the city of Damavand, about 75 km east of Tehran. They lie 600 meters from each other. The freshwater lake of central and east Alborz mountains is 2,900 meters above sea level. The lakes are nestled within high mountains; Siah chal and shah Neshin mountains in north, and Zarrin Kuh mountain in south. The mountainous climate makes it a suitable place for summer recreations , swimming and fishing.
The water is very cold during different seasons as a result of winds blowing from west.
The length reaches 1.5 km . Red spotted trout and other types of fish are found in the lake in abundance.

Zarivar Lake

The lake lies 8 km west of the city of Marivan. The mountainous freshwater lake stands in the proximity of Zagros Mountains. It covers an area of about 8.5 square kilometers and its catchment area is almost 150 square kilometers. The lake is formed by a local subsidence due to two parallel longitudinal faults in two east and west sides.
The high neighboring mountains , which reach heights of 1500 meters, are covered in woods and offer beautiful scenery.
Its water is supplied by rivers like Cham Zarivar and Cham Ghezli along with the springs in the bed.

Hoz-e Soltan in Qom

The lake lies 90 km southwest of Tehran and about 35 km north of the city of Qom. Consisting of two parts ,connected with a narrow waterway, it’s 806 meters above sea level. In fact, it is made up of two big separated holes ; one is called Hoz-e Soltan and the other Mare. Its water comes from two rivers of Shur and Ghara Chai along with seasonal waters from the nearby mountains.
The process of filling the two ponds in the lake happens this way: first water flows into Mare pond and once it is filled it runs into Soltan pond through a narrow waterway. The two ponds have layers of salt which encompasses 24 % of the area.

Parishan Lake in Fars

Also known as Famur, the lake lies 150km southeast of Kazerun and about 100 km west of Shiraz.
It was formed as a result of a shallow depression around the fairly high mountains of Famur mountains in the north and east, and Sar Balesh mountains in south ,southeast and west.
The main source of its water is through springs flowing down the neighboring mountains. It’s 820 meters above sea level. It encompasses an area of around 43 square kilometers and its catchment area ranges from 150 to 170 square kilometers.

Bakhtegan and Tashk in Fars

The lakes are located in the northeast and east of the city of Shiraz and in the west of Neiriz. The lakes are 1,558 meters above sea level with a depth ranging from 1.10 to 2 meters. A large part of them is covered in salt layers. Bakhtegan encompasses an area of 750 square kilometers and Tashk reaches 445 square kilometers.
Their catchment area is over 20,000 square kilometers. Among the small and large islands in the lakes are Narges, and Gonbadan ( in Tashk ) and Menak ( in Bakhtegan). Their areas depend on annual rainfall.

Hamun Lake in Sistan

The seasonal lake located in northwest of Bakhtar and southwest of Zabol has different names: Hamun-e Saberi, Hamun-e hirmand, Sistan’s lake, and Hamun-e Yuzak.
A part of the lake lies in Afgan’s land. Its main source is Hirmand River.
It covers an area of 1500 square kilometers and once in abundant seasons it reaches an area of 5,660 square kilometesrs , from which 3,820 square kilometers belongs to the country. Its depth reaches about 11 meters at highest.

Gohar Lake in Lorestan

The lake is situated in the protected area of Oshtorankuh in Loretan. It’s made up of two small lakes about 100 meters away from each other. It covers an area of about 75 hectares and its catchment area is 265 square kilometers. It’s 2,360meters above sea level . Its main source is surface streams and rivers as well as the springs in the bottom of the lake. A part of its water ( once the lake is filled) pours into Gohar river and flowing through Gohar valley and Holion canyon reaches the river of Sezar in the region of Cham Chid ( and its name changes into Rud-e Sabz). The lake, lying in a green and beautiful landscape, is a destination for nature lovers.

Ovan Lake in Ghazvin

The lake is situated 75 km from Ghazvin on the slopes of Khashchal mountain, the northern part of Alamut. It is surrounded by 4 villages of Ovan, Varin, Zavar Dasht, and Zar Abad. At 1,800 meter above sea level, it covers an area of 70,000 square meters.
Its water is mainly supplied through the springs in the bed of the lake and partly through seasonal rain. The crystal clear lake’s depth varies in different parts and the deepest , in southeast, is estimated to be close to 6 meters.