One of the natural and spectacular attractions of Fars province and the sights of Shiraz is Maharlu Lagoon or Maharlo Lake, which is located about 18 kilometers southeast of this city. Maharlo Lake is also known as the pink lake and the reason why this lake is pink and red is the growth of a kind of algae in its water. This lake is considered a part of the prohibited hunting area of Maharlu in Shiraz and is a refuge and habitat for migratory birds such as flamingos.
Maharlo Wetland, which is known as Maharlo Lake, is a part of the prohibited hunting area of Maharlo, Shiraz. This lake with an area of 24 thousand hectares is located at an altitude of 1560 meters above sea level. The length of Maharlo Lake is 31 km and its maximum width is 11 km. The average depth of the lake is 50 cm and its deepest point is 3 meters when the water is full. The water of this lake is sodium-magnesium chloride and sodium sulfate, and in the dry seasons, it is considered one of the biggest salt deposits in Iran.
Maharlo is a seasonal lake that is mostly dry in the summer season and is drained again by rain in the autumn and winter seasons. The water of this lake is supplied through atmospheric rains and dry rivers of Shiraz, Chenarah and Sultan Abad. These rivers collect the floods in the west of Shiraz and flow into Maharlo Lake. In the catchment area of Maharlo Lake, there are also many springs that flow into the lake.
The color of the water of Maharlo Lake in Shiraz
Maharlu Lake is also known by many names such as Mahlo, Mahlowayh, and Mahlowayh, and in the past it was also called Jankal or Salt Lake.
Istakhari, the geographer of the 4th century A.H., called Maharlu Lake Jenkan, and Abul-Fida and Ibn Battuta mentioned it as Jamkan. In the Farsnameh of Ibn Balkhi and the geography of Hamdallah Mostofi, the name of this lake is also written as Mahluyeh.
Maharlo Lake is a wildlife sanctuary and a habitat for migratory birds. If the living conditions are favorable, these birds stay in Fars wetlands and Maharlo lake until mid-autumn. Every year, a large population of flamingos come to this area. The saltiness of Maharlo Lake makes this bird suitable; Because the main food of flamingos is a salt-loving creature called Artemia and it is abundantly found in Maharloo water.
Maharlo Lake is the habitat of migratory birds such as flamingos
In addition to flamingos, birds such as angut, tanjeh, all kinds of kakai, all kinds of waterside birds such as Gilanshah big, Salim small, all kinds of waterbucks, herons, green ducks and mallards live in this wetland. Various species of animals such as jackals, wild cats, hyenas and foxes can also be seen around the lake.
Maharlo Lake is a natural and God-given treasure that is of great importance in terms of commerce and industry. This lake is one of the most important sources of edible and industrial salt in Fars province. Also, a type of algae called Donalilla salina grows in this lake, which can be used as a pigment in the food industry, drug production, and cosmetics.
Maharlo Lake is one of the important sources of artemia and edible and industrial salt
Algae Donalilla salina is also food for a type of shrimp called Artemia. Artemia is an organism that lives in salty water and this organism is also found in the water of Maharlu lake. Birds such as flamingos feed on artemia. Artemia is very important in the fish breeding industry and it is used in the breeding of sturgeon, ornamental fish, and shrimp, and a lot of profit is obtained from it in export.
Due to the salinity of the water and plenty of light, a single-celled harmless green algae called Donalilla salina grows in Maharlo Lake. This algae is the food of saltwater shrimp or Artemia one centimeter, which lives in salty waters like Maharlo. With increasing temperature and salt concentration, Salina algae creates a kind of beta-carotene substance that changes the color of the lake water; beta-carten does not pose an ecological and ecological risk for this lake. Like many wetlands and lakes in Iran, Maharlo Lake faces many environmental threats, including drought. This lake is effective in balancing the climate of Shiraz city and prevents extreme cold in winter and extreme heat in summer due to the humidity produced by this lake
