Lake Karakul is the largest drainless lake located in the eastern part, south of the Zaalai Range, on the territory of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region. The name of the lake can be translated from Turkic as "Black Lake". It was named so because at certain times of the day, the water in the lake becomes black, although this is not entirely reliable: when the sun shines at a certain angle, the crystal clear water of the lake becomes either dark blue or dark green.
The lake lies in a flat basin at an altitude of 3914 meters above sea level. Karakul is 100 m higher than the famous alpine lake Titicaca in the Andes. In addition, this largest glacial-tectonic lake has an area without islands of 380 sq. km, and a maximum depth of about 240 meters. Karakul is surrounded by desert rocky ridges, approaching the lake in the west, and several kilometers away from it in the east.
Bitter-salty lake water remains cold almost all year round. In winter, the lake freezes over. In the warm season and in calm weather, the water of Karakul is absolutely transparent, but with a strong wind, waves rise, and the color of the water becomes dark. The shores of the lake are surrounded by high mountains on three sides, and only on the eastern side does it open onto a small picturesque valley. Particularly charming are the views that open up to a traveler descending into the valley from the Kyzylart pass.
The opportunities for mountain climbing in the lake region are unlimited.
A peninsula protruding from the south and a rectangular island near the northern shore divide the lake into two parts - a shallower (depth here up to 22.5 meters) eastern one with numerous small bays and flat capes and a larger western one, the depth of which reaches 236 meters. The width of the strait between these two parts of the lake is 1 kilometer. Back in the late 19th century, the northern part of the island was connected to the coast by a narrow isthmus, which has now disappeared.
Small rivers Kara-dzhilga, Karaart, Muzkol and several smaller ones flow into Karakul, but none of them flow out, which turns the lake into a drainless one. The water here has a bitter-salty taste, the percentage of salt per liter of water is quite high here, which is why the lake gained the fame of the dead. At the mouth of small rivers flowing into the lake, where the water is more or less fresh, there are a few loach fish. Colonies of brown-headed gulls and Tibetan terns nest on the islands.
On the eastern shore of the lake, not far from the highway, there is the village of Karakul, the main population of which is Kyrgyz. And a few kilometers from the lake is the famous Markansu Valley. This name is interpreted by some as "Valley of Tornadoes", others - as "Valley of Death", but it is most accurate to say that this is "Dead Water". It is difficult to say why the valley received this particular name. Perhaps because this area was the first on the path of travelers who traveled to the Pamirs from the flourishing, fertile Alai Valley, and the contrast between Markansu and it was quite noticeable.
The world-famous Stone Age site of Oshkhona (8th millennium BC), a habitat for seasonal hunters, was discovered here. In the area of Karaart village, located about a kilometer from the Murgab-Osh highway, at an altitude of 3950 m, there is an architectural complex of the middle of the 1st millennium, combining an observatory with an animal cult.
Origin
According to one of the scientists' versions, the lake basin, which was greatly changed as a result of the influence of ancient glaciation, has a tectonic origin. However, geological studies of the lake in recent years, as well as the study of satellite images, have led a number of scientists to conclude that Karakul Lake was formed as a result of a meteorite fall approximately 25 million years ago. The crater, formed as a result of a meteorite impact on the ground, has a diameter of 45 kilometers. Islands, formed due to the rise of soil in the center of the crater, can be seen in the north and south of the lake (they have already been mentioned above).
Lake attraction
A curious feature of Karakul is that the shores of the lake rest on ice for a considerable distance, ice even lies on the bottom of the lake. There is still no consensus among scientists about where it came from at all. Some believe that these are the remains of ancient glaciers, others explain this phenomenon by the remains of an ice sheet that filled the basin during the ice age, and others suggest that the ice was formed recently.
But be that as it may, the ice on the shores of the lake is gradually melting, as a result of which dips, straits, lakes are formed and islands are separated from the shores, while the lake itself is gradually changing its size.
In addition, the Karakul basin is also notable for the fact that it is the most deserted place in the Pamirs. The least precipitation falls here, about twenty millimeters per year.
Despite the fact that the Karakul region is harsh, it is at the same time extremely beautiful with its pristine, untouched nature and inaccessibility, which especially attracts travelers from all over the world.