Martian lake in Crimea: history, features
Crimea is rich in unusual and truly unique places. Not all tourists who come to this peninsula spend their days on a comfortable beach - most of them prefer active recreation, visiting the historical and natural monuments of this place. One of them is the Martian Lake in the Bakhchisaray region, which is very popular among travelers due to the bright turquoise color of the water.
Story
The lake is located 17 kilometers from Bakhchisarai between the settlements Rocky and Scientific. The reservoir appeared relatively recently - in the 80–90s. last century. In former times, an industrial quarry was located on the site of the lake, in which Inkerman limestone was mined. Soon the source began to beat from the ground and all the work had to be suspended.
At first, they tried to drain the terrain - the water was pumped out, but it arrived more and more, it took much more time and technical means to pump the liquid than to directly mine the stone. The water level rose so quickly that the workers left the facility in a hurry - eyewitnesses claim that they were rapidly running away, leaving all their tools (it is believed that they are still at the bottom of the lake).
Perhaps the appearance of the lake was so unusual and fantastic that the locals called it Martian - there is no logical version explaining the origin of this unusual name at the moment.
Every year the flow of tourists to the Martian lake only grows and it is highly likely that within a few years there will be a full-fledged recreation area at this place. Today, the place has only one drawback - high littering However, nature cannot be blamed for this - as is well known, it’s not purely where it’s cleaned, but where it’s not littered.
Near the Martian Lake is the cave of Shaytan-Koba and more recently it discovered the site of primitive people. - Scientists claim that its age is 40 million years.
Few people know but the Martian lake is officially called the Sea of Marmara - and this name is much more suitable for this reservoir, since white Inkerman limestone combined with rather rare vegetation creates a marble border around the lake, which, in contrast to the sky-blue color of the water, makes the area surprisingly beautiful and picturesque.
Features
The Martian lake originated at the site of a construction career - this is precisely what explains its clear laconic forms and right angles. The total length is about 430 m, and the width is 200 m. The maximum depth is 12 m, there are lime deposits at the bottom, and they cause an unusual shade of water.
The coastline is quite steep, the flora is extremely rare, literally at every step there are stony formations. Due to the underground sources in the lake a constant water level is maintained. Recharge due to groundwater led to the fact that the water in Lake of Marmara remains cold even on a hot summer day, so many people are happy to dip into it to cheer up after a long journey. But in the autumn, the water, on the contrary, becomes even warmer than at sea.
In winter, the lake is not covered with ice, only occasionally a thin crust is visible on the surface of the water - no scientific explanation of this phenomenon has yet been found.
sights
A few years ago, travelers avoided the Martian Lake - it was little studied, hid a lot of mysteries and therefore scared the guests, only children from the neighboring villages could be seen on the shore. But by the end of the last century, the situation had radically changed - there appeared people who were really interested in the history and secrets of this place.
The second name of the reservoir, the Martian Lake, played a significant role in stimulating interest.
Nowadays, infrastructure is actively developing here - cafes, restaurants, attractions, as well as a paid parking lot appear.
Nearby are guest houses where you can rent a room to leave things and take a break before going back.
Tourists who come here can also visit the ancient cave town of Bala, which became famous for its necropolises, which belong to different eras and different nationalities - the earliest graves are dated to the 4th century, and the most recent ones belong to the period of the invasion of Nogai Khan at the very end of the 13th century.
This place attracts fishing enthusiasts, because there is a lot of fish in the reservoir. True, you can catch it solely on the bait - the use of fishing nets is not allowed here. Locals often catch carp and carp, claiming that there is no better place for fishing in the whole Crimea.
If you intend to visit the Marmara Lake overnight, camping is prohibited. Of course, most tourists do not intimidate this fact in any way, but still we advise you to adhere to the established rules, and if you are a fan of camping, try to find camping, of which there are a lot of places located nearby.
How to get there
You can always reach the Martian Lake by public transport, and from any point of the Crimean peninsula. Considering that this reservoir is located near the village of Nauchnyi and the village of Skalistoe, it is necessary to take the routes that go through these settlements. For example, there is a flight "Simferopol - Scientific", it is necessary to get to the station "Skalistoe", and then already any passer-by met will tell you how to get to Marble Lake. There are also flights from Bakhchisarai.
If you plan to drive your car from Simferopol, then you need to move towards the village of Ukromnoye, and having reached the same level, change lanes and turn right according to the signs, driving along Kievskaya street.
At about the second kilometer you should turn onto Sovetskaya Square and go to Amet Khan Sultan Square. Soon you will see a turn on the street. Kozlova - after driving about 400 m along it, you need to turn right onto Sevastopolskaya Street and go to the Khan Saray cafe. Behind this catering point you will notice one more turn to the right in the direction of the village of Skalistoi, and having reached it, you will easily find the Martian Lake.
In general, the road from Simferopol takes about half an hour.
You can also get to the lake by train, in this case you should go to the station. "Postal", after which walk about 2 kilometers.
The marble lake in the photos is amazingly beautiful - that is why photo sessions are often held here.. Keep in mind that you will have to get along a stony and rather winding road, but the path, no doubt, will give you exceptional pleasure - you can see picturesque mountains around, and limestone creates a striking contrast with the Crimean sky in bright blue.
Look at the beauty of the Martian lake in the Crimea can be further.