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With its lively turquoise, green and blue water, it is no surprise that Salda Lake Lake Salda is often promoted as “Maldives of Türkiye”.
Exceptional to have surrounded yourself peacefully and surrounded by an abundance of wild animals, it is no wonder whether it has become an important, albeit lesser -known attraction and is deep in the southwest of the country.
But this beautiful water and its white sandy beaches have so much more than just beauty to inspire tourists. According to scientists, Lake Salda is the only place on earth that is analogous to the Jezero crater on Mars.
It is a fact that sparked interest in space scientists at a time when mankind increasingly focuses on the red planet as a possible goal for a crew mission.
It has also contributed to sharpening the environmental awareness of this fragile treasure, which is exposed to existential threats through pollution and reduction in the water level.
Briony Horgan, professor at the Earth Department, atmospheric and planetary science at Purdue University, traveled to Turkey in Turkey in 2019 to study the endurance rover team of NASA to study mysterious lake, and was impressed by her similarity with a distant plan.
This photo of a MarsVission in Jezzero Crater, which was made from smaller individual images, was taken by Nasa’s persistence Rover in 2021. – NASA/JPL -CALTECH
“It’s really just an incredibly unique place,” she told CNN Travel.
“And in many ways it actually felt like they were standing on the Mars of the Old Lake Jezero.”
In space research, a planetary analogue is a place on earth that is considered similar or comparable to the conditions on another planet or moon. According to Horgan, finding a Mars analogue is particularly difficult here, since the high levels of iron and magnesium make up the composition of the red planet, and “they are very primitive”.
However, she says that the pelvis of Lake Salda is “from this composition that was created at the foot of an ocean when the oceanic crust was torn apart and new crust was made directly from the inside of the earth”.
This process, says Horgan, is intended to attribute the Mars-like environment of Lake Salda.
Balcı, professor at the geological engineering department of the Technical University of Istanbul, also took part in the Lake Salda studies of NASA. It does not help scientists to better understand Mars geology, but also says that the lake also offers insights into the history of our own planet.
For example, the microorganisms in the water have built up microbial structures that are at least 2 million years old, some of which were exposed to the decreasing water level at the lake.
These carbonate forms that resemble cauliflower gives decisive indications of our own origins.
“Salda contains a lot of information that can help us understand life that started 3.5 billion years ago and developed,” says Balcı.
Experts say larger protective measures
A general view of a exposed island of old microbialites in Lake Salda. – Umit Gektas/Reuters
Last year, the International Commission for Geoheritage (IUGS) announced the admission of Lake Salda in its list of the 100 geological locations in the world.
Balcı was one of the most important participants who presented evidence to support their addition to the list.
“We have prepared a file (shown) that Salda contains important information about Mars and early earth and that if you are lost, we will have difficulty finding and understanding such information,” she explains.
In recent years, environmentalists and lawyers have been loud about the need to raise protection and awareness of the value of the lake beyond its physical beauty.
While some experts are optimistic that these efforts have a positive effect, others are still skeptical, as the retired lecturer Erol Kesici from Süleyman Demirel University, Eğirdir Water Resources Faculty. Kesici, founder of the Turkish Water Institute, is also a scientific consultant for two environmental associations, the association for the protection of Turkish nature and the association of nature and sustainability.
“Although Lake Salda has numerous sensitive and protected areas such as natural nature reserves and other maintenance status, there are serious problems in practice,” he says.
“The excessive pollution and contamination caused by the construction of ponds and insulation causes the lake ecosystem, the turquoise water and (endemic) species gradually.”
Professor Horgan expressed similar feelings and found that Lake Salda is “a wonderful place that I hope that many people can see it. But it is the type of place where we should make sure that we appreciate responsibly. “
A treasure for nature lovers all year round
Hikers explore the paths around Lake Salda. – Selcuk Oner/iStock Editorial/Getty Images
Lake Salda houses 301 plant species, two of which are endemic and grow in the lake basin, as well as three endemic fish species and over 30 water bird species, under more frequent animals such as wild boar and foxes. They make Lake Salda the best places in Turkey for nature photography and hiking.
“The best season to visit Salda is spring and early summer,” notes Hasan Gülday, a tour guide in the West Turkey.
“The harmony of the green trees, the white banks of the lake and the turquoise color are best created during this time.”
However, you can visit Lake Salda in every season, including winter. In fact, the street to the nearby Salda Ski Center offers the best panoramic view of the Lake Salda and its surroundings. Therefore, breathtaking pictures assume that many pictures that were taken there were photoshopped.
If you are planning your trip in July and early August, you can admire the Lila Lavender fields southwest of the lake where the local lavender soap and fragrances produce, some of the best souvenirs to bring back home.
People are allowed to swim in the lake, and many do it, but opinions about how the waters protect the best way to protect these visitors are mixed.
“I want time restrictions and capacity limits for activities such as swimming,” says Gülday Guide.
The scientific advisor Kesici is now completely against people who get into the water because “it is a closed lake, the entire waste remains within (IT).” He also says that some people take mud baths and believe that it can help heal some skin diseases, but this can also damage the sensitive ecosystem of the lake.
Exploration of the area
The Lake Salda is located in Burdur, near the city borders of Denizli, which is another jewel of Turkey, Pamukkale, housing-only about a 1.5-hour drive to the northeast. The region is called Turkish Lake District or Turkish Lakeland.
Gülday also recommends visiting the old cities of Kibyra and Sagalassos, both of whom are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Kibyra is a settlement that goes back to the early Iron Age, about a 1.5-hour trip south of Salda. The city has been at the intersection of important trade routes for centuries, and Hellenistic, Roman, Lydish and Pisidian cultures influenced the settlement.
Sagalassos’ history comes from 12,000 years, and after the 6th century it was left to its fate due to epidemics, raids and natural disasters such as earthquakes.
It is one of the best preserved archaeological sites in Turkey, since its remote situation did not loot and the settlement was quickly covered by vegetation and soil due to erosion.
Arrive there: Many travelers choose to rent a car to better explore the region’s picturesque drives. The trip from Antalya to Lake Salda takes about 2.5 hours. Tours also offer tours through the area, including the lake.
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