Maharloo Lake

The Maharloo Lake, which is located in Fars Province of Iran, dazzles the eyes with its unique features. On the road from Shiraz to Fasa, in the southeast of Shiraz, at a distance of about 57 km from the asphalt roads, there is a beautiful village near Maharloo Lake, which takes its name from this lake; Maharloo village. In ancient times, it was also called Dasht-e Gol and it dates back to the Safavid era. The reason that Maharloo is a relic of the Safavid era is Shah Abbasi Caravanserai; a stone caravanserai with beautiful crescent arches. Unfortunately, many parts of this building have been destroyed. Maharloo is built on the southern slopes of the Zagros Mountains with a concentrated texture with long arches and arched windows. This life-giving spring has added to the beauty of the village thousands of times and has brought greenery and freshness.
This lake, which is also called a wetland due to its shallow depth, is located 23 km southeast of Shiraz with an area of ​​25,000 hectares and an altitude of 1460 meters above sea level and has very salty water so that in the dry season, It is considered to be the big salt desert of Iran. Maharloo Lake is one of the important sources of salt in the province due to its abundant salt. Maharloo Lake is also known by other names such as Mahloo Lake, Mahlouyeh, Maahlouyeh, Jankal and Salt Lake. The depth of the lake varies in different parts of it and depends on the rainfall. Most of its parts are very shallow, about half a meter. Of course, the depth of water in deep parts reaches 3 meters. The maximum length of Maharloo Lake is 160 km and its width is 43 km.
The lake has mainly saline water, which is supplied by dry rivers, Hamzeh and Sarvestan, as well as the streams of nearby mountains. In addition, large and permanent springs of the lake, such as Barmishur and Abparavan, are the water supply sources of Maharloo Lake, which are located at the northwestern tip and on the northern margin, respectively. One of the wonders of Maharloo Lake is that due to the existence of numerous freshwater springs in the northern and northwestern margins and also due to the dry climatic conditions and as a result of the rainfall regime affected by rainless periods, low rainfall and heavy and occasional rainfall, there are several freshwater lakes and saline samples that depending on the amount of monthly and annual rainfall, their area varies and in some of them it reaches 150 hectares such as Barmishour Lake and 250 hectares such as Abparvaran Lake.
Due to the high rate of evaporation in Maharloo Lake, part of its bed is covered with a layer of salt and only in its northern and central parts with very shallow depth and high salinity, there is water. One of the interesting phenomena of this lake is the presence of red killers. The lowering of the water level helps to create the conditions for the growth of an algae or the red killer in the lakes, so due to the decrease of water in recent times, we are witnessing the reddening of Maharloo Lake. Red algae are a type of algae that is resistant to salinity, and when the salinity of water increases, these algae grow more. Excessive growth and reproduction of this algae in this lake has caused all its water to turn red and no living thing except a type of aquatic creature called Artima can survive in it. These algae are the main food of Artima and Artima are the main food of resident birds and migratory guests of the lake. Artemia plays a very important role in eliminating some salt impurities and water minerals as well as great economic justification. The presence of these algae causes the water of this lake to be bright red when it is dehydrated and pink when it is waterlogged. This volume of salinity and relatively high temperatures cause the intensity that no living thing except Artima bacteria can survive permanently in this lake. Overgrowth and multiplication of this algae also causes the density of algae in the water surface to rise and Form a layer that prevents the exchange of air with water and ultimately reduces oxygen. Under these conditions, some of these organisms produce toxins that pose a potential threat to aquatic life and therefore endanger the life of aquatic animals and animals adjacent to the lake. Of course, often the beginning of spring is considered a process of beginning to change the color of Lake Maharloo and coincides with the reddening of the water. Recent droughts have caused the lake to dry up in summer, but in autumn, winter and early spring, the lake is relatively watery and has a beautiful view.
You can see the growth of plants, which are mostly in the form of reeds in the freshwater inlets of Lake Maharloo. You will also see the growth of plants such as Artemisia with antiseptic properties, Astragalus with therapeutic effects. Of course, the growth of licorice, a perennial plant, purple, yellow and white, figs with skin health effects, as well as oak, which helps in easy digestion, should also be mentioned around the lagoon of Maharloo Lake.
There are no fish in Maharloo Lake. But there are different types of amphibians. Reptiles such as snakes, lizards, lizards and turtles can be seen in this lake. There are two groups of birds in the lake: the first group is winter migratory birds and the second group is chicks. Pelicans, Flamingos and Ducks add to the beauty of the lake.
Maharloo is a seasonal lake and most of it dries up in summer. With the onset of rainfall in the autumn and winter, the water level of the lake increases again. From autumn to mid-May is the best season to visit this lake. If you travel to Maharloo Pink Lake at this time, you will probably see migratory birds as well. The most beautiful and special photography subjects in the world can be created next to this lake. It can be said with certainty that most tourists go there to take different and special photos next to this lake. Because the salty beach and the unique color of the lake provide interesting backgrounds and subjects for photography.
This precious lake needs protection and revitalization more than ever. It was a few years ago that the lake’s water dried up completely and life came back to it again thanks to proper rainfall. The red color of the lake may present a strange and beautiful landscape to the eyes of tourists, but the fact is that the presence of red killers have seriously endangered plant and animal life.