The most famous and beautiful lake in Tajikistan attracts not only with its amazing nature, but also with numerous legends. Many tourists specially come to these places to be convinced of the magnificence of the mountain reservoir and the veracity of interesting ancient legends.
The article provides information about the pearl of Tajikistan - Lake Iskanderkul.
General information
The pearl of Tajikistan, which adorns many Dushanbe tourism banners, is known by many, calling it the national treasure of the state. It is said that a "pearl" is usually called any lake in the mountains, which can be reached by road. And in fact, of all the Central Asian mountain reservoirs, Iskanderkul is the most accessible.
The name of the lake in Tajikistan, Iskanderkul (the photo is presented in the article), comes from the name "Iskander" (meaning "Alexander") and the word "kul" (translated - "lake"). Some legends say that the reservoir received its name due to the fact that it was here. Alexander the Great during a campaign to India from Central Asia.
A bit of history
The lake, located in the amazingly beautiful Fann Mountains of Tajikistan, has a rather rich and long history. It is believed that it was named after the commander Alexander the Great, whom the locals called Iskander Zulkarnayn, which means "Iskander the two-horned" (because of the unusual helmet that resembled horns). But that's just part of the speculation. In fact, the lake existed here even before the arrival of Alexander the Great in these places. According to some reports, it had the name Iskan-Dara, which literally translated as "lake of high water" or "high water", or, to put it more simply, "alpine lake".
And after Iskander Zulkarnain visited here, due to the obvious consonance, the name was changed to "Iskanderkul". Disputes about this theory still exist, but there is no obvious evidence, only myths, legends, assumptions and conjectures.
There are many legends about Iskanderkul and they concern not only Alexander the Great.
Location
How to get to Iskanderkul lake in Tajikistan? It is located in the northern part of the territory of the state, in the Sughd region. It's not hard to get to it. From the capital of Tajikistan, the distance is just over 150 kilometers along a high- altitude and quite decent highway.
The whole journey takes abouttwo hours, along the way you can see the bewitching natural landscapes with snow-capped mountain tops rushing into the deep blue of the sky. All this beauty is the Fann Mountains, which occupy an area slightly larger than the territory of Moscow. This small piece of untouched land can show many interesting things, including Lake Iskanderkul. In total, there are 11 peaks with a height of 5,000 meters and hundreds of smaller hills. There are magnificent blue lakes, fast mountain rivers and picturesque forests.
Description of the lake
Iskanderkul, considered the heart of the Fann Mountains, is surrounded by several five-thousander peaks - Bodkhona, Chapdara, Maria, Mirali, Zindon. The highest is Chimtarga (5487 meters). No one can say for sure where this name came from.
Lake Iskanderkul in Tajikistan is shaped like a triangle. Its area is 3.5 square kilometers. The depth of the waters is 70 meters. The mirror surface of the reservoir surrounded by mountains looks great. The uniqueness of the lake lies in the fact that it is the largest in the mountains and is located at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters. The volume of water in the lake is 172 million cubic meters. The length of the coastline is 14 thousand meters.
The rivers Khazormech, Sarytag, as well as small mountain streams flow into the reservoir. The Iskanderdarya River flows out of the lake, after 30 kilometers it flows into the Fan Darya. The latter carries its waters to one of the largest rivers in Central Asia - the Zeravshan.
Neighbourhood
Not far from Lake Iskanderkul isold archa (juniper bush), the branches of which are decorated with multi-colored ribbons. Everyone who comes to admire the local amazing waterfall leaves something of their own on this tree in order to return here again in the future. The nearby 43-meter waterfall is called "Fan Niagara". It is located on the river flowing out of the lake. There is also a rock with an inscription dating back to 1870, it was left by members of the expedition led by the famous Russian traveler and scientist A. Fedchenko.
Not far from Iskanderkul there is another lake called Serpentine. According to the stories of old-timers, many snakes live in it. Locals claim that reptiles will not bite in two cases: when they are in the water and when people drink water. Some believe that this name was given to the lake only to attract tourists. The water in it is warmer than in Iskanderkul, so you can swim here.
There are quite remarkable mountain peaks in the vicinity of the lake. For example, on one mountain, the people call it "Rainfall", local residents determine the weather. If the peak is hidden in a cloud, it will most likely start to rain. There is another version that it was named so by the locals, due to the fact that it has a device for measuring precipitation.
There is another peak here - Chil-shaitan. Its name is translated from the Tajik language as "40 devils". According to the stories of the old people, shepherds and hunters met devils there. That's where the name came from. Therefore, people are still afraid to go up there, buttourists are not afraid of anything, as there is something to see.
About the origin of the lake
Many scientists are still arguing about the origin of Lake Iskanderkul in Tajikistan. Most are inclined to believe that the reservoir was formed as a result of a blockage that occurred 11,000 years ago. But local residents have their own opinion on this matter.
From generation to generation, the story is passed that the reservoir was originally located higher, in the mountains, and the water left it twice after the strong melting of glaciers. It is believed that this is the third location of its location. Old-timers say that once there was much more water. This is also evidenced by the stripes traced on the mountains (marks of the edge of the water). The first, the highest mark, is at the level of 110 meters, and the other is located 50 meters below. The current lake has a third mark - even lower. It is known that the reservoir twice broke through so strongly that its waters washed away everything on its way to Samarkand.
Lake vacation
Lake Iskanderkul is called a pearl in the palms of the mountains. A lot of tourists come to this mountain reservoir. For their stay there are guest houses, but foreign visitors prefer to stay in tents. The Swedes, the British, the French and the Tajiks themselves come here. Moreover, they all rest in different ways. Some travel on foot, others on motorcycles, and still others in vintage cars.
People are attracted here by the mystery of the lake, secrets and legends associated with it. For example, there is one beautifula legend telling that Rustam's horse from the poem "Shahnameh" (Firdowsi) is grazing at the bottom of the reservoir - fiery Rakhsh.
More about legends
According to the first legend, Alexander the Great stumbled upon a settlement of Sogdians who resisted his army. The commander was very angry and gave the order to dam the river, on the banks of which there were residential buildings. And so a lake appeared on the site of that settlement.
According to the second parable, the horse of Macedon, Bucephalus, during a h alt drank water from the lake after a long journey and fell ill. The commander himself went further to India, leaving his faithful horse here. However, even at such a great distance, he felt the death of his master and rushed into the lake, forever remaining in it. Since then, every month, during the full moon, Bucephalus comes out of the water to graze: the waters part, and a snow-white horse comes to the surface of the lake, accompanied by grooms.
It should be noted that the pond is not suitable for swimming. The water temperature of Lake Iskanderkul, 10 meters from the shore, drops sharply to + 10 ° C, since here it is melted from mountain glaciers.
Lake Features
The water in Iskanderkul contains a lot of mineral impurities, so there is practically no fish here, only small char is found. Residents claim that trout also gets here from mountain rivers, but it is immediately carried away by the current to Iskandarya, and then to a waterfall, against which no one can go. He throws down his waters30 meters high, causing powerful mist to form around.
The canyon in which the waterfall is located is rather narrow, damp and gloomy in itself, and you can look at it only from a specially equipped platform. And only from it you can see a beautiful bright rainbow.
A little about reviews
Lake Iskanderkul, like the entire territory of the Fann Mountains, keeps a unique thousand-year history. Beautiful forest landscapes, waterfalls and mountains - all this delights travelers. All of them note that the place is incredibly beautiful and attractive. The lake is very clear and blue, but cold.
Good reviews from tourists about the Tajis - polite and friendly people, and the farther from major cities, the warmer they welcome guests. Of course, tourists are especially enthusiastic about the indescribable beauty of nature. There are also good reviews about living conditions by the lake, however, it all depends on the mood of the travelers themselves. People who have visited these places for the first time say that they will definitely return there.
For those who simply enjoy the beauties of wild nature, they offer to go along interesting tourist routes that run through the Fann Mountains. This journey promises to be exciting.
You can get to Iskanderkul by your own transport from the capital of Tajikistan - Dushanbe (about 150 kilometers). Another option is to drive from Tashkent (Uzbekistan) with a stop in Tajikistan through the Oybek border post (100 and 310 kilometers, respectively).
