Issyk-Kul
Issyk-Kul - «Pearl of the Tian-Shan». The lake's name,
which derives from a word for "hot lake", alludes to the fact that
it does not freeze over during the winter, even though the lake is
situated at an altitude of 5,278 feet. Mountains ring the lake. To the
North are the Kungei («Sunny») Ala-Too mountains and while to the South
lie the Terksei («Shady») Ala-Too mountains. These mountain ranges
protect the Issyk-Kul hollow from winds bringing either extreme cold
- or extreme hot - winds.
In Kyrgyz the words mean «warm lake» - that is not because
the waters are warm, although are a number of local hot springs in
the area, but because the lake never freezes over.
It is Kyrgyzstan "largest Lake and at about 178 km long
by 70 km wide and 668 meters deep at the deepest point. The Issyk -
Kul Lake is the largest in the Tien - Shan Mountains (6,236 sq km).
Total length of the shoreline is about 370 miles. Next to lake Titicaca
in Peru, it is the world's second largest mountain lake.
Summer temperatures are usually average 76° or 82° F (25°
or 28° C) degrees, but as the lake lies at an altitude of some 1606
m, it can get quite chilly, especially at night. While in January ,
on the western edge of the basin, the temperatures average 28° or 27°
F (-2° or -3° C). The water temperature in July on the surface is 68°
to 73° F (20° to 23° C), and in January it is 39° to 41° F (4° to 5° C).
Ice forms only in the shallow coves.
The water of the Issyk-Kul is sky blue in colour, very clear
(visibility up to 65 feet. Tian Shansky wrote of Issyk-Kul may have
been the first to make the comparison - he wrote about lake Issyk-Kul:
«The dark, blue surface of Issyk-Kul is as blue as the surface of Geneva
Lake, but the large size of Issyk-Kul makes it grandiose, which can
not be said of Geneva Lake. The Issyk-Kul water beautifully reflects
snow-covered Tien Shan peaks against the background of the dark blue,
bright, cloudless Central Asian sky».
Apart from the large volume of water, this is because although
134 streams and rivers flow into the lake, none flow out - and every
year about 80 centimeters of water evaporates from the lake surface,
so the water is slightly salty and this lowers the freezing point where
water turns to ice.
The evidence suggests that Issyk-Kul has existed at least
since the Neocene (beginning 7,000,000 years ago) and that it has
periodically drained.
Lake terraces stretch alnong the shores, indicating a higher
water level in the past, and the presence of underwater ruins of buildings
at depths of up to 23 feet testifies to the past that in the Middle
Ages the level of the lake was lower that it now is. In the 20th century
the lake has dropped more than three meters.
Unsuitable for drinking and irrigation because of its high
mineral content, it is used at times without freshening for watering
cattle.
More than 20 kinds of fish live in Lake Issyk-Kul. The basic
commercial fish are the naked osman, the chebak, the little chebak,
the common carp and the marinka.
The western and eastern shores of the lake serve as a wintering
place for waterfowl, which gather anually in flocks of from 20 to
50,000.
Pochards, mallards, bald coots, and teals are the main varieties.
A number of the sanatoria, hotels, guesthouses and home
stays around the lake operate all year round - although some are
open only during the summer season. The northern shore is the main
health resort area with center in town of Cholpon-Ata. Some of the sanatoria
have hydrothermal springs and offer mud baths.
Cosmonauts, after they returned to earth were brought to
the lake to rest and recuperate and Brezhnev had a Dacha on the shores
of the lake. In 1999 there was a an accident where a lorry carrying cyanide
fell off a bridge and poisoned the river water and this led to a dramatic
decline in the number of tourists to the region, although numbers are
beginning to rise again.
The tourist season usually runs from June until September
- but the peak season is from about 25th July until 25th August -
and it may be difficult to find places and prices are at a premium.
During the Soviet period the lake was used by the Navy to
test torpedoes built in Tashkent.
At present at the bottom of the Issyk - Kul Lake scientists
have discovered three types of ancient relics and monuments: settlements,
graves and hoards. They date back from the first millennium B.C. to
the middle of the second millennium A.D.
Issyk-Kul photos