Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Walking On Salt, ROMANTİK!

-
First impression: surprise!


When we reach the edge intense whiteness gives us a freezing sensation. Glinting light to the west and gorgeous view..

Second impression: adjustment our feelings!
Crystals look deceptively like snow and ice.. but are we sure about it, snow?

Third impression: convinced!
Oh, not snow crystals like we guessed, but salt. That is really salt beneath our feet. We start to think about salt, that's one of our life's most important ingredients. Makes up 3.5% of a human body, and did you know... the proportion of salt in the world's seas is also 3.5%. Yes, it is extraordinary testimony to the balance of nature!

Located in Central Anatolia, 150 km SSE of (capital) Ankara, on the way to Cappadocia, visiting Lake Tuz (Turkish: Tuz Gölü) should be included in the itinerary of every Cappadocia traveler!


I saw the same lake twice during my two Cappadocia trips that I took this year, in august and october. Everytime I am amazed by the strange sight of the salt gleaming like silverline beneath the clear lake water. We did not mind sinking occasionally into the "interesting" patches of mud and took long walks across the lake. I enjoyed very much the sensation of wading through this unearthly pure whit
e wonderland disregarding the splashes of water on my bermuda and blouse. Because it was much more romantik than walking on snow:)


Also called Tatta in the past, Tuz Gölü it is the 2nd largest lake in the country.
Characterictically, it's shallow. Also one of the richest salt beds in the world! Due to its high salinity (33%), 300 thousand tons of salt is obtained here per year, and this is 60% of the total salt production in Turkey. From July to August, the lake evaporates into reflective white salt. After dirty layer is removed, the clean salt is gathered into mounds and loaded manually onto the wagons of mini trains. So it is how the {TUZ=salt} comes on our tables:)






However, there are some "very sad" alarming rates about this beautiful Lake that are dampening our mood! The water surface of the Lake Tuz decreased to:

216,400 hectares in 1915
92,600 ----"----- in 1987
32,600
----"----- in 2005
---- no Lake?
---- in 2015

Due to the global warming, the Lake has shrunk by 85% over 90 years. If urgent and necessary measurements are not taken to protect it, TUZ GÖLÜ will no longer exist within 5 years.



Camel train
consists of a "thousand camels",
was each carrying up to
250kg salt
in the ancient times



PS- you can enlarge my photos


2 comments:

  1. Some really remarkable summertime memories of a landscape we do not have at all in Central Europe - not yet... ;-))

    I was (a long time ago) to a coastal salt evaporation pond on the island of Lanzarote. There you find - a far as I know - some camels, too. The only ones on the European continent.

    Although I know some more camels in my (European) circle of friends and acquaintances... ;-))

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  2. Wow, that was so cool. Please come say hi. I am doing a giveaway of rock music, from my Dec. 9 post. Check it out if you wish. :)

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