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Sasyk-Sivash Lake. Crimea

I propose to recall such pink salty lakes as Pink Lake Retba in Senegal, Lake Tuz in Turkeyand such a dangerous Lake Natron in Tanzania of a bright red color. Continuing the theme of water bodies having a similar shade, I suggest you to enjoy the photos of such a remarkable place as Sasyk-Sivash Lake, which is in Crimea.

This picturesque reservoir is the largest inland lake on the Crimean peninsula. It is located between the cities of Eupatoria and Saki, on the territory of Opuk Cape, and refers to the Eupatoria group of salt lakes, adjacent to the east of Eupatoria. Just a small mound of sand separates Sasyk-Sivash from the Black Sea.

This shallow sal****er lagoon covers an area of 500 hectares, the length is 14 km, the maximum width – 9 kilometers, the average depth is less than a meter, the maximum depth of the reservoir – 1.2 meters. The lake, except for salt production, is famous for the fact, that it is rich in healing mud. As for salt, its medicinal qualities were also awarded a gold medal at the Paris Exposition in 1912. This is the most salty lake in Crimea – about 370 grams of salt per liter of water. Stocks of brine in the lake reach 2 billion cubic meters.

The word “Sasyk” is translated from the Turkic as “rotten or foul-smelling” and the word“Sivash” – “mud”. However, the value of this place outweighs the unpleasant name. Since the XV century, the salt lakes of Crimea provided all of Ukraine and the European part of the Moscow State by the precious salt. By the middle of the XIX century, the production of the Crimean salt increased significantly. “White gold” was sent to Turkey, Syria, Greece and Bulgaria by water, throughout Ukraine, Belarus and Russia – by overland roads. Production of salt varies each year, but the average extraction is 10,000 tons.

Speaking about the second property of Sivash Lake, the following can be said. People come here for treatment by the local mud. This dark gray and black mud is used to treat a variety of diseases associated with the metabolic processes in the organism, cardiovascular diseases, as well as to eliminate the problems with the musculoskeletal system. These therapeutic properties are scientifically proven for today.

Even the brine itself has medicinal properties. It is a concentrated salt solution with the hydrogen sulfide odor. In its composition there is an increased content of bromine, iodine, sodium, magnesium, calcium, and organic biologically active compounds.

Pink color, as usual, has emerged with an ulterior motive. Microalgae, called Dunaliella salina, have perfectly adapted to the harsh life in the brine. So, one more valuable secret of the lake is that Dunaliella produces beta-carotene. It is a great immune system stimulant and an antioxidant, capable of preventing the occurrence of cancer of breast, skin, cervical, lungs, colon and bladder. This vitamin also plays a significant role in the formation of epithelium of skin, glands, the mucous membranes of the respiratory organs, digestive and excretory urinary tract. It is proved that the beta-carotene does not cause allergy, has no side effects and contraindications. When water evaporates, the content of beta-carotene increases. The water of the Sasyk-Sivash Lake may acquire the color from light pink to bright red.

Another property of Sasyk-Sivash Lake. When the lake dries up in summer, the evaporation fills the neighborhood with air, saturated by the vapors of iodine chloride. Thus, it becomes a natural salt inhaler which serves as an excellent means of protection and prevention of infectious diseases.

It is worth noting that the lake also has fresh water in the northern part. These two parts of the reservoir are separated by a dam (the separation between salt and fresh water is only 1.5 meters). Since the water level rises and the dam width is reduced, there is a danger that when the fresh water enters the salty part of the lake, it can lose its medicinal resources.

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