BAḴTAGĀN LAKE, part of the Lake Nīrīz basin situated about 1,525 m above sea level in the province of Fārs, approximately 50 km east of Shiraz. Originally identical with the Nīrīz lake itself, it has been repeatedly mentioned by medieval geographers (e.g., Eṣṭaḵrī, pp. 100, 101, 102; Ebn Ḥawqal, pp. 263, 265, 276, 277; Moqaddasī, p. 446). At the present, it is common to divide the basin of the Nīrīz into a northern portion (daryāča-ye Ṭašk) and a larger southern part (daryāča-ye Baḵtagān). The basin, surrounded in the northwest and south by high mountains, is fed by the Kor river and other smaller streams all of which are oligohaline or mesohaline in character. In wet years the whole basin is covered by a single water-surface, covering an area of approx. 1,000 to 1,500 km2 and reaching a depth of 1 m to 1.10 m. Normally, however, there are two intermittent lakes, separated at their western ends by the delta of the Kor river. Due to considerable fluctuations of the lake level within a few years, reports on the existence of one lake, of two lakes, or no lake at all are rather confusing. Due to high salt contents of the lakes, salt is harvested as soon as the water-level lowers and the salt deposits are exposed on the surface.
See also NĪRĪZ.
Bibliography:
Kayhān, Joḡrāfīā I, pp. 89-92.
D. B. Krinsley, A Geomorphological and Paleoclimatological Study of the Playas of Iran, Washington, D.C. (Geological Survey, United States Dept. of the Interior: Contract no. PRO CP 70-800; Project No. 7628), 1970, 2 vols., esp. vol. 1, pp. 236-44.
H. Löffler, Beiträge zur Kenntnis der iranischen Binnengewässer I: Der Niriz-See und sein Einzugsgebiet, Internationale Revue Ges. Hydrobiologie und Hydrographie 44, 1959, pp. 227-76.
H. L. Wells, “Surveying Tours in Southern Persia,” Proc. Royal Geographical Society, London, N.S. 5, 1883, pp. 138-63.
Search terms:
| دریاچه بختگان | bakhtaghan | daryacheh bakhtagan | daryaacheh bakhtagaan |
(E. Ehlers)
Originally Published: December 15, 1988
Last Updated: December 15, 1988
This article is available in print.
Vol. III, Fasc. 5, pp. 538-539
