Iskanderkul
Iskanderkul | ||
---|---|---|
Primary inflows Sarytag, Khazormech, Serima | | |
Primary outflows | Iskander Darya | |
Basin countries | Tajikistan | |
Surface area | 3.4 square kilometres (1.3 sq mi) | |
Max. depth | 72 metres (236 ft) | |
Surface elevation | 2,195 metres (7,201 ft) |
Iskanderkul (
Zeravshan River
.
134 km from Dushanbe and 23 km from the Dushanbe—Khujand road, Iskanderkul is a popular tourist destination.[1]
The lake takes its name from
Turkic languages.[2] There are two legends connecting the lake to Alexander. The first one states it used to be a location the inhabitants of which resisted Alexander's rule, and in fury, the king ordered to divert a river and annihilate them. The second legend states that Bucephalus had drowned in the lake.[3][4]
Birds
A 300 square kilometres (120 sq mi) tract of land including the lake and surrounding mountains has been designated a nature reserve. As well as the lake itself, habitats found in the reserve include rivers,
sub-alpine
meadows.
Over half of the reserve, comprising 177 square kilometres (68 sq mi), has been identified by
fire-fronted serins, plain mountain finches, crimson-winged finches, red-mantled rosefinches and white-winged grosbeaks.[5]
References
- ^ Historical Dictionary of Tajikistan, Kamoludin Abdullaev and Shahram Akbarzadeh. The Scarecrow Press, Inc., Lanham, Maryland, and London. 2002, p. 95.
- ^ "Iskanderkul and Sarytag". Caravanistan. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
- ^ "Iskanderkul Travel Guide".
- ^ "Iskanderkul lake | Tajikistan Travel Guide".
- ^ "Iskanderkul lake and mountains". Important Bird Areas factsheet. BirdLife International. 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-31.