Ay-Kul

About

Ay-Kul (Kyrgyz: Айкөл; Uzbek: Oydinkoʻl; Russian: Ай-Кёл), also called Oydinkul, is a small freshwater landslide dam in the Turkestan Range mountains in Kyrgyzstan, near the border with Tajikistan. The lake was formed after a massive landslide blocked the flow of the Ay-Kul Creek. Ay-Kul is located approximately 20 kilometres (12 miles) km south of Razzakov. It has a surface elevation of 2,838–2,938 m (9,311–9,639 ft) and covers an area of .82–1.5 km2 (0.32–0.58 sq mi). There are no paved roads leading to Ay-Kul, and the lake is a popular destination for local hikers.

The Kyrgyz name for the lake is Ayköl (Айкөл), meaning "moon lake". In Uzbek, it is called Oydinkoʻl, meaning "moonlit lake" or "clear lake". Ay-Kul hosts an array of legends and myths among local Uzbeks. A popular legend holds that a shepherd lost his crook (variously described as having unique carvings or fitted with gold coins) in the lake, but months later found it in a spring in Dehmoy, Tajikistan.

Ay-Kul was formed after several cubic km of rock dislodged from the steeply sloped river valley of Ay-Kul Creek, a tributary of the Ak-Suu River. The lake freezes in late October and thaws in March. Sources differ on the area of Ay-Kul, putting it from .82 km2 (0.32 sq mi) to 1.5 km2 (0.58 sq mi). It has a maximum length of 2.8–3.5 km (1.7–2.2 mi) and a maximum breadth of 0.5 km (0.31 mi).

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.