Maharlu Lake, a tourist attraction

Located about 18 km southeast of Shiraz in Fars province, it is 1560 m above sea level. It’s a place for recreation as it is in proximity of the large city of Shiraz. It is fed by 3 rivers Khoshk, Hamze, and Sarvestan and streams of neighboring mountains. It’s 28 km long and 10 to 15 km wide. With an area of 257 square km it doesn’t connect open seas. Its evaporation is high and as a result it is covered by a layer of salt. There is water only in north and center of it which is very low and salty.
An interesting phenomenon takes place in the lake: red tiny creatures called “Kashand” they are sort of algaes which resist salt and when the water is saltier, they grow even more. When they multiply to a great extent, algaes increase in water level and form a layer which hinders exchanging air with water . Therefore, oxygen decreases. They generate a poisonous substance which threatens the aquatics potentially.
The main animals which live nearby include: flamingos, ducklings, Tanje, green ducks, Sandpipers, Chuka and coots. It is used to make Fars’s industrial salt.