Lake Tuz

The second largest lake in Turkey has a sonorous and memorable name Ace. This word translates from Turkish as "salt", and it would be difficult to come up with a more precise definition for a lake with 340% salinity.

The area ranges from 1,500 to 2,500 km2. This is a very wide range, reflecting significant seasonal fluctuations.
The length is about 80 km.
The width is about 50 km.
The maximum depth is 5 m. However, in most places the depth is only a few centimeters. During the dry season, the lake dries up almost completely in large areas.
The height above sea level is 900 m.

The Tuz is fed by two large streams, underground springs and precipitation. In summer, a salt crust about half a meter thick remains from the lake, covered with a thin layer of water, and in winter, fresh water dissolves salt again – and so every year.

More than half of the salt consumed in Turkey is taken from the bottom of the Ace. Several salt mines have been built here, and it is with the extraction of salt, its purification and subsequent processing that the main activity of the region is connected. And although the shores of the Ace more often resemble a swamp, nevertheless, flamingos nest on the islands in the south of the lake. In addition, these places are favored by the steppe kestrel and the white-fronted goose.

Since 2001, Tuz and the surrounding lands have been a specially protected area, which means that you can only approach the lake from the "official entrance".

Lake Tuz is one of the few bodies of water in the world where people from all over the world come solely to take beautiful photos. The fact is that in summer, when the reservoir is almost completely dry, a thick crust of salt at the bottom under a small layer of water turns into a mirror. The flat, smooth surface faithfully reproduces the color of the sky, and a person who literally walks on a lake looks as if he is floating in the air or walking on water. Therefore, when going on a trip to Turkey, you should not deny yourself the pleasure of capturing a walk on the water – this does not happen again.