Fabulous Iskanderkul: the most famous lake in Tajikistan. Holidays on the lake

Pregnancy is a miracle that every woman looks forward to. However, with it comes many different problems. Varicose veins during pregnancy are one of these.

Varicose veins - vein disease

Varicose veins are dilation of veins, in which nodes form and blood flow is disrupted. People who are most susceptible to the disease are those who are overweight, the elderly, pregnant women, as well as those who have dysfunction of the heart, liver, or genital organs (STDs - trichomoniasis, ureaplasmosis, fungi). Among patients with varicose veins, the majority are women, since hormonal levels have a special influence on the patency and elasticity of blood vessels. Any fluctuations in hormones can cause varicose veins. Most often, the disease “attacks” the veins in the legs. A person who spends a long time on his feet is most susceptible to varicose veins. The disease can also appear on other parts of the body - on the hands, genitals, and groin. These places are especially often affected by varicose veins during pregnancy.

Causes

There may be several reasons why veins lose their elasticity:

Genetic predisposition. If one of your loved ones suffered from varicose veins, the chances of inheriting this disease are very high.
Various vein injuries.
Hormonal disorders, disruptions (menopause, pregnancy).
Overweight.
Diseases of the liver, rectum (frequent constipation).
Sedentary, sedentary lifestyle.
Standing work, during which the load on the legs and, accordingly, the veins increases.
Congenital venous anomalies.
Constant lifting of weights.

Vein diseases affect most of the adult population of the planet. Varicose veins appear especially often during pregnancy. Treatment of the disease will then depend on its complexity, as well as the risks to the fetus and mother.

Symptoms of varicose veins

The main symptom indicating the development of the disease is that the veins on the body become more noticeable. However, few people immediately pay attention to this. People often remember the disease when veins protrude above the surface of the skin. This phenomenon is accompanied by pain and swelling, changes in the skin. It becomes darker and pigment spots appear. Dryness may occur. Sometimes wounds appear that do not heal for a long time.

Varicose veins are accompanied by itching, a feeling of heaviness and fatigue in the legs. If varicose veins occur in the groin during pregnancy, the main symptom will be enlargement of the labia and the formation of nodules on them. Heaviness and pain when walking and physical activity are also observed. After childbirth, the disease may suddenly disappear, just as it appeared. However, you still have to consult a doctor. After all, varicose veins sometimes significantly complicate the birth process.

Varicose veins of the uterus during pregnancy

The main cause of varicose veins in expectant mothers is hormonal changes. With the advent of new life, all the efforts of a woman’s body are aimed at supplying the fetus with useful substances necessary for its growth. All these substances are delivered along with the blood through the veins. Thus, the blood flow in the pregnant woman’s body increases, which means the load on the vessels increases. This is where varicose veins originate.

Women with a genetic predisposition especially often suffer from the disease. In this case, the disease can appear anywhere: on the legs, arms, internal and external genital organs. Varicose veins of the pelvis during pregnancy are a common phenomenon. The main symptoms of the disease are pain in the lower abdomen, increased sensitivity of the genital organs, painful sexual intercourse, and problematic urination. It is extremely undesirable to ignore varicose veins, as there may be contraindications to natural childbirth. However, radical treatment will also have to wait. The only way out is drug therapy and wearing special compression garments. Those women who have uterine varicose veins during pregnancy should be prepared for a cesarean section, since during spontaneous childbirth uterine bleeding may develop, sometimes leading to death.

Treatment of varicose veins

Of course, it is more difficult to treat varicose veins during pregnancy. This is because you can only use medications that are not always effective. In addition to medications, phlebologists (doctors who deal with vein diseases) recommend:

Long walks on foot.
Take a lying position with your legs elevated.
Eat properly and balanced.
Avoid hot baths, saunas and steam baths.
Wearing compression garments is a very effective way to combat varicose veins.
Use special ointments, creams, gels for their intended purpose.

If varicose veins are detected during pregnancy, treatment should be started immediately. Perhaps the disease will disappear before delivery, or at least its symptoms will decrease.

The main methods of treating varicose veins:

Laser. Bursts of energy compact the vein and return it to its previous state.
Phlebectomy. Removal of varicose veins surgically under general anesthesia.
Vein extraction. A surgical operation during which the diseased vein is removed and a flexible wire is inserted in its place.
Endoscopy. Used for severe cases. This is an operation during which an incision is made and a camera device is inserted into it. Having assessed the situation from the inside, the specialist chooses treatment tactics.
Sclerotherapy. Treatment of varicose veins through injections.

All these treatment methods, as a rule, are not prescribed to expectant mothers. They are used only after childbirth.

If varicose veins occur during pregnancy, a correct and healthy lifestyle will be the only salvation. Well, who, if not the expectant mother, should know about this?

Complications of varicose veins

Varicose veins are not such a terrible disease if treated in a timely manner. But if you give up on it, the following complications may arise:

Trophic ulcers of veins. These are wounds that do not heal for a long time due to impaired blood flow through the veins. The disease appears in advanced stages of varicose veins and leads to excruciating pain.
Thrombophlebitis. Inflammation of the veins, accompanied by the formation of blood clots. The cause of the disease is slow blood flow. This phenomenon is especially dangerous for expectant mothers. A blood clot can block the nutrition of the placenta, resulting in fetoplacental insufficiency. Therefore, varicose veins during pregnancy require strict control and observation.
Chronic venous insufficiency- darkening of the skin, constant fatigue and heaviness in the legs, even after rest. The disease may be accompanied by eczema and dermatitis. The disease progresses slowly, affecting increasingly larger areas.

Simple prevention of varicose veins will help prevent your body from reaching such conditions.

Preventive measures

Many expectant mothers are interested in the question: “If varicose veins appear during pregnancy, what should I do?” The correct answer is to carry out timely prevention:

Forget about cross-legged posture while sitting.
Do not overuse unhealthy foods containing cholesterol.
Maintain your weight at a certain level.
Get rid of tight, constricting and uncomfortable clothing.
The same should be done with shoes. In no case should it be one size smaller.
Avoid constipation.
Eat more fresh vegetables and fruits.
If you do standing work, find time for a fifteen-minute rest.
If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, take two-hour walks.
Wear compression tights or stockings.
Minimize your consumption of alcoholic beverages and coffee.
Stop smoking.

Traditional methods of treatment

Folk wisdom in the treatment of varicose veins can be used both as an independent and as an additional method.

Medicinal recipes can be divided into compresses and decoctions.

Compresses:

Garlic. Dilute garlic (chopped) and vegetable oil one to two. Apply to diseased veins at night.
Kalanchoe. Infuse the leaves of the flower in alcohol for three weeks. Wipe the affected areas of the veins with the resulting lotion.
Raw mashed potatoes - the best remedy against fatigue and swelling of the legs.

Nettles. Pour one spoon of dry herb into 300 ml of boiling water and leave. Drink 0.5 cups 3 times a day.
Nutmeg. Dilute one tablespoon of nutmeg powder in 200 ml of boiling water and add honey. Drink one glass a day an hour before meals. The most effective remedy even in the later stages of varicose veins.

When varicose veins appear during pregnancy, traditional methods of therapy are the best medicine!

When using herbs and infusions, you should always consult your doctor. Home herbal medicine, although it has proven itself well in the treatment of many diseases, can sometimes cause harm.

Varicose veins and childbirth

Of course, a slight dilation of the veins is not yet an indication for a cesarean section. For varicose veins on the legs, the solution to the problem will be special compression stockings, which are worn before childbirth.

But if varicose veins are found in the groin during pregnancy, the picture will be different. The fact is that during childbirth a woman can get ruptures, which often affect varicose veins. And this causes bleeding and infection. Therefore, with varicose veins of the pelvic organs, natural childbirth is most often abandoned.

Varicose veins after childbirth

For many people, varicose veins go away on their own after childbirth. However, if this does not happen, it’s time to treat the disease. There is no longer any risk to the fetus, so you can use everything possible ways therapy. One of the simplest and most effective is sclerotherapy, during which medicine is injected into the diseased vein using a thin needle. The procedure is performed under anesthesia. After its completion, there are no scars or scars left.

You should also continue to wear compression garments and exercise walking. Now it will be more fun to walk, because you have a newborn baby next to you!

Conclusion

Varicose veins are a disease in which veins lose their firmness and elasticity. Hormonal levels have a huge impact on the disease. Any fluctuations in hormones can negatively affect the legs (the main site of attack for varicose veins).

Many expectant mothers are interested in why varicose veins appear during pregnancy, how to treat the disease so as not to harm themselves and the baby? The best therapy is a correct and healthy lifestyle, walks in the fresh air and compression garments. It is better for pregnant women to refrain from taking medications and undergoing surgery.

Iskanderkul is located near the northern foot of the Fan mountain complex. This lake owes its name to the famous commander Alexander the Great, who, according to legend, allegedly passed here with his large army on the way to India. His eastern name was Iskander Zulkernain, which can be translated as Alexander Two-horned. “Kul” translated from Tajik means lake. This is how the name of this lake in the heart of the mountains of Tajikistan arose - Iskanderkul.

It is located in the junction of the Kukhistan mountains between the two ends of the Zerafshan and Gissar ranges. The height of Iskanderkul above sea level is 2195 m, and its area is almost 3.5 km2. Due to a mountain collapse or a powerful earthquake, it has a dammed structure. The moraine is almost completely filled with rock fragments. Today the depth of Iskanderkul is 72 m, but many researchers claim that in an earlier period it was much deeper. Traces of the lake can be observed on the surfaces of the slopes that surround it. Sometimes these tracks exceed the 120 m mark.

Many small mountain streams flow into Iskanderkul, as well as the Sarytag and Khazormech rivers. The lake serves as the source of the Iskander Darya, which flows into a fairly large river called Fan Darya, which enters the Zeravshan basin. Just three hundred meters from Iskanderkul there is a small Snake Lake, which also has a glacial and dammed structure. Snake Lake has a warm water temperature, as well as a richer internal world, despite its very close proximity to Iskanderkul.

It is also worth mentioning enough big waterfall, which is located next to Iskanderkul. Local residents nicknamed it the Fann Niagara. The height of this waterfall is 43 m. You can admire it from observation deck, which is located directly above the breakdown of the water mass from a narrow mountain gorge.

Iskanderkul is also famous for the presence of a historical monument, which was created by members of the very first Russian expedition led by Alexei Fedchenko. The participants of this expedition entered the territory of the lake, moving from Zeravshan itself. They left their inscription “Russians. 1870" on one large limestone rock, which has managed to survive to this day.

Also near Iskanderkul there is a complex of a meteorological station of the hydrometeorological center of Tajikistan and a point for hydrological observations.

The lake has long been very popular among tourists from various countries. The magnificent view of the beautiful mountain lake and the presence of many different interesting objects in the area have made Iskanderkul a fairly famous world resort.

Tajikistan - amazing country. If we compare it with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, then we can safely call this country optimal in terms of the ratio of beauty and diversity of nature to safety, prices and good attitude local residents to travelers. The Fan Mountains and the Pamirs are the greatest, most beautiful places that cannot be forgotten. The people are very kind, and the further we got from big cities, the warmer we were greeted. In general, Tajikistan is excellent, almost ideal for car travel a country. The main disadvantage is that it is very far away (if we consider our option of traveling from Moscow).

I’ll start my story about the October trip with one of the five incredible places Tajikistan, which the Lonely Planet guidebook strongly recommends visiting. This Mountain Lake Iskanderkul.

1. Anton joined us on this trip anton_ermachkov , who opened this travel season with us back in January, and Ilya negrook , who traveled with us to Altai in July. Together with Kolya Nikolapic and Yana ya_yankel The guys left Moscow in two cars and set a course for Uzbekistan. I was delayed by business in Moscow, so I joined five days later in Shymkent. From there, through Uzbekistan, we rushed in full force to visit the Tajiks in the direction of Dushanbe.

Soon after Khujan, the boring steppe landscapes gave way to mountain beauty. We were approaching the Turkestan ridge. Its northern slopes gradually opened up in front of us, quite gentle, with juniper forests, as if threads had been darned with the wires of power lines. Somewhere high in the dense haze, massive glaciers could be seen.

2. Then we somehow abruptly entered the famous Shakhristan tunnel, the longest road tunnel in the CIS countries. The opening of the tunnel in 2012 provided year-round road communication between the northern and southern regions of Tajikistan. Before this in winter period northern regions Tajikistan was cut off from the main territory of the country for 6 months.

3. The length of the tunnel is more than five kilometers. In the few minutes spent in this dark tube, my eyes had time to get used to the weak light. And so, when we emerged back into the light, we all went blind for a moment. Squinting and hastily lowering the sun visors, a completely different picture was revealed to us, as if we had teleported to other lands, to other mountains.

4. Instead of forested gentle slopes, the road twisted along steep rocky cliffs, now and then diving into avalanche and anti-mudflow tunnels. The majestic five-thousanders of the Zeravshan Range proudly rose above all this.

7. The road twisted like a snake and descended lower and lower to the Zeravshan River. Ears were blocked. From time to time there were trucks that crawled like snails, trying not to burn out the brakes. We didn't drive any faster because we stopped every now and then for photo shoots.

8. Initially, we planned to get to Dushanbe, or rather to the Rohat Chaikhana, before dark. But we did not take into account the fact that our path ran through the Fan Mountains...

9. And the Fan Mountains are another of the five must-see points of the “must see of Tajikistan” from the guidebook. That's why we drove slowly, we even stood and took pictures)

10. Small locality Khushekat.

12. Life of provincial Tajiks. It differs from my childhood village memories only in the multi-tiered buildings.

14. The sun was setting quickly. And by that time we had only managed to go half the way. It was a pity to drive through such places in the dark, so we decided not to rush to the capital, but to stay in the Fan Mountains for one night.

15. We drove between high cliffs and looked around. There was nowhere to spend the night in such places - except right on the road. But here the guidebook came to the rescue again, which just told us about Lake Iskanderkul. It was only 30 kilometers to the right of the main road.

16. Initially, when planning the route, we somehow lost sight of this place and did not intend to go here. But everything somehow worked out by itself, and when the sun had already disappeared behind the mountains, we saw a lake in the distance. The lake is just like a lake, nothing unusual. From this point it looked like the reservoir of a small hydroelectric power station.

17. It was getting dark. We began to go down to the water. The road was tolerable, accessible even for a car. It was just impossible to drive along it quickly.

18. The tents were set up by the light of the fire and lanterns. There was no moon in the sky, but even in the light of the stars it was clear that we had arrived in some kind of cosmic place.

19. It was very cold in the morning.

20. When the sun came out, we warmed up and realized that we were in a heavenly place.

21. After breakfast, brave photographers in the person of Ilya and I went to swim in the icy and invigorating waters of Iskanderkul.

22. Lake Iskanderkul, according to legend, got its name from Alexander the Great, who was called Iskander in the East. The word “kul” actually means “lake”, hence the name “Iskanderkul”. Alexander the Great allegedly visited here on his way from Central Asia to India.

23. One of the legends says that during his Indian campaign, Alexander the Great came across a village that did not want to surrender. Then he ordered the riverbeds to be directed towards this village and flooded, resulting in the formation of a lake.

24. Iskanderkul - rightfully considered one of the most beautiful mountain lakes Tajikistan.

25. The lake is located at an altitude of more than two kilometers, so for us it was a kind of acclimatization night before the Pamir route.

27. Charged with the energy of this place, we went to Dushanbe. Although my soul asked me to stay in these places for at least another day...

30. On the way to the city, another tunnel awaited us. Anzobsky. Not at all as clean and beautiful as Shakhristan. Plumes of exhaust gases poured out of the thick darkness of the northern portal of the tunnel. We took a big breath of air and hastily closed all the windows.

31. The design of the tunnel was carried out by specialists from the Gidrospetsproekt and Tajikgiprotransstroy institutes in the 1980s. Construction began in 1988, but was suspended in 1993 after the collapse of the USSR. The tunnel was opened only in 2006, but work to complete the tunnel is still ongoing.

Unofficially, motorists call this tunnel the "Negro ass."

32. Five kilometers of complete burning...

33. Having driven through the five-kilometer ass of a black man, we passed the Gissar ridge and began to smoothly descend to Dushanbe.

35. These are the Fan Mountains. Not bullshit.

I left my heart in the Fann Mountains,
Now I walk heartless across the plains,
And in quiet conversations and in noisy feasts
I silently dream of blue peaks.

Yuri Vizbor.

This trip was carried out as part of the travel project "

The most famous and beautiful lake in Tajikistan attracts not only its amazing nature, but also numerous legends. Many tourists specially come to these places to be convinced of the magnificence of the mountain reservoir and the veracity of interesting ancient legends.

The article provides information about the pearl of Tajikistan - Lake Iskanderkul.

general information

The pearl of Tajikistan, which adorns many Dushanbe tourism banners, is known by many, calling it a national treasure of the state. They say that a “pearl” is usually called any lake in the mountains that can be reached by road. And in fact, of all the Central Asian mountain reservoirs, Iskanderkul is the most accessible.

The name of the lake in Tajikistan Iskanderkul (photo presented in the article) comes from the name “Iskander” (meaning “Alexander”) and the word “kul” (translated as “lake”). Some legends say that the reservoir received this name due to the fact that Alexander the Great visited here during his campaign to India from Central Asia.

A little history

The lake, located in the amazingly beautiful Fan Islands, has a rather rich and long history. It is believed that it was named in honor of the commander Alexander the Great, whom the locals called Iskander Zulkarnayn, which translated means “Iskander two-horned” (due to the unusual helmet that resembled horns). But this is just part of the speculation. In fact, the lake existed here even before Alexander the Great came to these places. According to some information, it was called Iskandara, which literally translated as “high water lake” or “high water”, or, more simply, “high mountain lake”.

And after I visited here, due to the obvious consonance, the name changed to “Iskanderkul”. Disputes about this theory still exist, but there is no obvious evidence, only myths, legends, assumptions and speculation.

There are many legends about Iskanderkul and they concern not only Alexander the Great.

Location

How to get to Lake Iskanderkul in Tajikistan? It is located in the northern part of the state, in the Sughd region. It's not at all difficult to get to. The distance from the capital of Tajikistan is just over 150 kilometers along a high-altitude and quite decent highway.

The entire journey takes about two hours, along the way you can see stunning natural landscapes with snow-capped mountain tops rushing into the deep blue sky. All this beauty is the Fan Mountains, which occupy an area somewhat larger than the territory of Moscow. This small piece of untouched land can show you a lot of interesting things, including Lake Iskanderkul. There are a total of 11 peaks with a height of 5,000 meters and hundreds of smaller hills. There are some great ones here blue Lakes, fast mountain rivers and picturesque forests.

Description of the lake

Iskanderkul, considered the heart of the Fan Mountains, is surrounded by several five-thousander peaks - Bodhona, Chapdara, Maria, Mirali, Zindon. The highest is Chimtarga (5,487 meters). Now no one can say for sure where this name came from.

Lake Iskanderkul in Tajikistan is shaped like a triangle. Its area is 3.5 square kilometers. The depth of the water is 70 meters. The mirror surface of the reservoir surrounded by mountains looks magnificent. The uniqueness of the lake lies in the fact that it is the largest in the mountains and is located at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters. The lake's water volume is 172 million cubic meters. Length coastline equal to 14 thousand m.

The Khazormech and Sarytag rivers, as well as small mountain streams, flow into the reservoir. The Iskander Darya River flows out of the lake, and after 30 kilometers flows into the Fan Darya. The latter carries its waters to one of largest rivers Central Asia - Zeravshan.

Neighborhood

Not far from Lake Iskanderkul there is an old archa (juniper bush), the branches of which are decorated with multi-colored ribbons. Everyone who comes to admire the local amazing waterfall leaves something of their own on this tree in order to return here again in the future. The nearby 43-meter waterfall is called the Fan Niagara. It is located on the river flowing from the lake. There is also a rock with an inscription dating back to 1870; it was left by members of the expedition led by the famous Russian traveler and scientist A. Fedchenko.

Not far from Iskanderkul there is another lake called Zmeiny. According to the stories of old-timers, many snakes live in it. Local residents claim that reptiles will not bite in two cases: when they are in the water and when people drink the water. Some believe that this name was given to the lake only to attract tourists. The water in it is warmer than in Iskanderkul, so it is quite possible to swim here.

In the vicinity of the lake there are quite remarkable Mountain peaks. For example, local residents use one mountain, popularly called “Rain gauge,” to determine the weather. If the peak is hidden in a cloud, it will most likely start to rain. There is also a version that it was named so by local residents due to the fact that there is a device on it for measuring the amount of precipitation.

There is another peak here - Chil-shaitan. Its name translates as “40 devils”. According to the stories of old people, shepherds and hunters met devils there. That's where the name came from. Therefore, people are still afraid to go up there, but tourists are not afraid of anything, since there is something to see there.

About the origin of the lake

Many scientists are still debating the origin of Lake Iskanderkul in Tajikistan. Most are inclined to believe that the reservoir was formed as a result of a collapse that occurred 11,000 years ago. But local residents have their own opinion on this matter.

The story is passed down from generation to generation that the reservoir was originally located higher in the mountains, and the water left it twice after the strong melting of glaciers. It is believed that this is its third location. Old-timers say that once there was much more water. This is also evidenced by the stripes visible on the mountains (marking the edge of the water). The first, highest mark, is at 110 meters, and the other is located 50 meters lower. The current lake has a third mark - even lower. It is known that the reservoir twice broke through so strongly that its waters washed away everything in its path all the way to Samarkand.

Holidays on the lake

Lake Iskanderkul is called a pearl in the palms of the mountains. Many tourists come to this mountain reservoir. There are guest houses for their accommodation, but foreign visitors prefer to stay in tents. Swedes, British, French and Tajiks themselves come here. Moreover, they all rest differently. Some travel on foot, others on motorcycles, and still others on vintage cars.

People are attracted here by the mystery of the lake, the secrets and legends associated with it. For example, there is one beautiful legend that tells that Rustam’s horse from the poem “Shakhname” (Firdousi) - the fiery Rakhsh - grazes at the bottom of the reservoir.

More about legends

According to the first legend, Alexander the Great came across a settlement of Sogdians who offered resistance to his army. The commander became very angry and gave the order to dam the river, on the banks of which there were residential buildings. This is how a lake appeared on the site of that settlement.

According to the second parable, the Macedonian horse, Bucephalus, during a rest, drank water from the lake after a long journey and fell ill. The commander himself went further to India, leaving his faithful horse here. However, even at such a great distance, he sensed the death of his master and threw himself into the lake, remaining in it forever. Since then, during the full moon, every month Bucephalus comes out of the water to graze: the waters part, and a snow-white horse emerges onto the surface of the lake, accompanied by grooms.

It should be noted that the pond is not suitable for swimming. The water temperature of Lake Iskanderkul, 10 meters from the shore, drops sharply to +10°C, since here it melts from mountain glaciers.

Features of the lake

The water in Iskanderkul contains a lot of mineral impurities, so there is practically no fish here, only small char can be found. Residents claim that trout also comes here from mountain rivers, but it is immediately carried away by the current to Iskandarya, and then to the waterfall, against the current of which no one can go. It casts its waters from a 30-meter height, causing powerful water dust to form around it.

The canyon in which the waterfall is located is itself quite narrow, damp and gloomy, and you can only look at it from a specially equipped platform. And only from there you can see a beautiful bright rainbow.

A little about reviews

Lake Iskanderkul, like the entire territory of the Fan Mountains, contains a unique thousand-year history. Beautiful forest landscapes, waterfalls and mountains - all this delights travelers. They all note that this place is incredibly beautiful and attractive. The lake is very clean and blue, but cold.

Tourists have good reviews about Tajiks - polite and friendly people, and the further from major cities, the warmer they welcome guests. Of course, tourists are especially enthusiastic about the indescribable beauty of nature. There are also good reviews about the living conditions near the lake, however, it all depends on the mood of the travelers themselves. People who visited these places for the first time say that they will definitely return there.

For those for whom it is not enough to simply enjoy the beauty wildlife, offer to go through interesting tourist routes, running through the Fan Mountains. This journey promises to be exciting.

You can get to Iskanderkul by your own transport from the capital of Tajikistan - Dushanbe (about 150 kilometers). Another option is to travel from Tashkent (Uzbekistan) with a stop in Tajikistan through the Oybek border post (100 and 310 kilometers, respectively).

(G) (O) (I) 39.074444 , 68.368333 39°04′28″ n. w. / 68°22′06″ E. d. 39.074444° s. w.68.368333° E. d. (G) (O) (I) (T) A country Tajikistan Region Sughd region Height above sea level 2195 m Square 3.4 km² Greatest depth 72 m Flowing rivers Sarytag, Khazormech and others

Flowing river

Iskanderdarya

Panorama of Lake Iskanderkul

Geographical description There are two legends about the creation of this lake. The first of them says that during his Indian campaign, Alexander the Great came across a village that did not want to surrender. Then he ordered the riverbeds to be directed towards this village and flooded, resulting in the formation of a lake. Another legend, more poetic, says that during a halt at this lake, Alexander’s horse, Bucephalus, drank the icy water of the lake and caught a cold. Having recovered a few days later, Bucephalus, grazing on the shore, suddenly neighed, climbed onto the very

high rock and threw himself from there into the waters of the lake. The saddened Alexander, after waiting for several days, took the army further, leaving grooms and soldiers on the shore of the lake. Since then, every month, during the full moon, Bucephalus begins to graze, the waters of the lake part and a snow-white horse comes to the surface, accompanied by grooms. In fact, the lake has a dammed structure; it is dammed by a moraine, filled from above

rock

, which was the result of a collapse, possibly due to a strong earthquake. The lake is located at an altitude of 2195 meters above sea level, in the spurs of the Kukhistan mountain cluster, between the western extremities of the Gissar and Zerafshan ranges. The total water surface area of the lake is 3.4 km², the depth of the lake reaches 72 meters. According to scientists, in ancient times the lake had a higher water level, traces of which can be seen on the slopes of the surrounding mountains, at an altitude of more than 120 meters., Rivers flow into the lake Sarytag Sarytag, Khazormech and others Hazormech

, as well as small mountain streams. A river flows out of a lake -

Not far from the lake there is another dammed, glacial lake - Zmeinoye. It is smaller in diameter and despite the fact that it is separated from Iskanderkul by only a strip of land 300 meters wide, it has a richer internal biosphere and has a higher water temperature.

Also, not far from the lake, on the Iskanderkul River, there is a large waterfall called the “Fan Niagara”. The waterfall is located in a narrow gorge, the height of the water fall is 43 meters. You can approach the waterfall only from the top; a metal observation deck is installed directly above it.

On the banks of Iskanderkul is located historical monument- a large limestone rock with an inscription carved on it - “Russians, 1870”, which was left by members of the first expedition of Alexei Fedchenko, which penetrated here from the direction of Zeravshan.

On the shore of the lake there is also a Tajikhydromet weather station and a hydrological observation point, operating year-round. There is also a tourist base with infrastructure.

Lake Iskanderkul is one of the most beautiful mountain lakes in Tajikistan, which is annually visited by tourists from near and far abroad.

Notes

Links

Alexandra Moizykh “Crazy Asia” - travel notes.

Wikimedia Foundation.

2010. Lake in the Gissaro Alai mountains at an altitude of 2188 m (Tajikistan). Named (according to legend) in honor of the visit of the lake by Alexander (Iskander) the Great. It was formed as a result of a giant landslide that dammed the river. Iskander Darya (left tributary of the river... ...

Geographical encyclopedia - (Republic of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Tojikistan) Tajikistan. I. General information The Tajik ASSR was formed on October 14, 1924 as part of the Uzbek SSR; October 16, 1929 transformed into the Tajik SSR, December 5, 1929... ...

Great Soviet Encyclopedia Lake in the Gissaro Alai mountains at an altitude of 2188 m (Tajikistan). Named (according to legend) in honor of the visit of the lake by Alexander (Iskander) the Great. It was formed as a result of a giant landslide that dammed the river. Iskander Darya (left tributary of the river... ...

Mountain system in Central Asia, west of the Pamirs, between the Fergana Valley in the north, the Karshi steppe, the Tajik depression and the Alai Valley in the south (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan). It extends from west to east for 900 km with a width of approx. 150 km to the west h... A mountainous country in the south of Central Asia, in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan. The western and middle parts of Gissaro Alai are made up of the Turkestan, Zeravshan and Gissar ranges, eastern part Gissaro Alaya Alai ridge with northern advanced... ...

encyclopedic Dictionary Fans - Pamir Alai, intermediate between the Pamirs and Tien Shan. It includes several ridges elongated in the latitudinal direction, bordering the Fergana Valley from the south. The main Alai ridge, which then branches into the Turkestan,... ... Encyclopedia of tourists

The central part of the Zeravshan range, in the north-west of Tajikistan. Height up to 5489 m. Glaciers. Lakes (Iskanderkul and others). Tourism. * * * FAN MOUNTAINS FAN MOUNTAINS, central part of the Zeravshan Range. in the north-west of Tajikistan. Height up to... Gissaro Alaya Alai ridge with northern advanced... ...

View from Mount Chimt ... Wikipedia

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