Maharloo Lake in Fars

Maharloo Lake, the strangest attraction in Fars province

What comes to mind when you hear the name of the lake ?! Surely you will remember the small and large blue lakes that you have visited many times. But what if we tell you that there is a red lake? Today we are going to introduce you to one of the strange tourist attractions of Fars province. Maharloo Lake is located in the southeast of Shiraz and is very famous for its red color. In the following of this article, join Travital to visit this beautiful lake together.

Haighar Strait, Iran Geopark in Fars Province

When the name of Fars province is mentioned we all remember the beautiful city of Shiraz and the countless monuments and historical sites of this province. It is a pity that this region of our country has also placed the most beautiful natural landscapes of the country in its heart. If you go to Fars, include visiting its natural places in your plans. One of these natural attractions is Maharloo Lake near Shiraz.

Introducing Maharloo Lake

One of the landscapes that you may have seen a lot in the photos is the beautiful view of Maharloo Lake in Fars province. Many tourists and nature lovers travel to this beautiful city, Shiraz and see its valuable historical and cultural monuments and go to this amazing lake to take a souvenir photo next to it. The lake is famous for its red color. Maharloo is located southeast of Shiraz, 57 km from Shiraz to Fasa. The lake is located next to a village of the same name, a village that dates back to the Safavid era and once was called the Plain of Flowers.

Maharloo is a red lake

Apart from the beautiful Maharloo Lake, Maharloo Village also has a high tourism potential. The village is located on the southern slopes of the high mountains of the Zagros. The houses of this village have long arches and their arched windows have given them a beautiful appearance. Scattered gardens full of almond, pomegranate and fig trees, created near the village's mineral springs, have added to the beauty of Maharloo. Many villagers believe that the water of this spring is healing and cures many skin diseases. If you are a pilgrim you can also go to Khadijeh Banoo shrine which is located on a hill in the village. Near the village the remains of a Safavid-era guest house called Shah Abbasi guest house can also be interesting to visit. But beyond all these historical and natural attraction, we come across the most important attraction of this village. Lake Maharloo used to be much larger than it is today and is unfortunately drying up today. Of course, steps have been taken to revitalize the lake which has helped to increase its water level to some extent. Maharloo Lake is home to many species of migratory and non-migratory birds. It can also be called the Salt Lake, because the water is almost salty. Due to the drying up of many parts of the lake some parts of it is covered with salt and it is used as a source of salt supply for Shiraz. Maharloo is one of the strange natural attractions of Fars province which hosts many nature lovers from inside and outside the country with its red color. The depth of the lake varies in different parts and depends on rainfall. In most parts, the water depth is about half a meter and in the deep parts the depth is three meters. The water of this lake which unfortunately does not have very favorable conditions is supplied by several freshwater springs in the north, rainfall and the rivers Hamzeh, Khoshk and Sarvestan.

Why is the Lake Maharloo red?

The rate of water evaporation in this lake is very high. The steep evaporation of Lake Maharloo's water has caused its salinity to rise sharply and a kind of red seaweed called "red tide" has multiplied. The overgrowth of this algae in this lake has caused all its water to turn red and no living thing can survive in it except one type of aquatic species called Artima.

Maharloo Environment

Due to the excessive salinity of the water as well as the excessive proliferation of red algae in the red tide, no fish live in this lake. But in the corners of the lake reptiles such as lizards, snakes and turtles can be seen. Some amphibians also live near the lake. Maharloo Lake is home to a variety of migratory and non-migratory birds. Pelican, Flamingo, Duck, , etc. are among the birds seen in the lake.

The best travel season

Maharloo is a seasonal lake and most of it dries up in the summer. With the onset of rainfall in the fall and winter, the lake's water level rises again. From autumn to mid-May the best season to visit this lake.

Access route to Maharloo Lake in Fars Province

After beauties of Shiraz that you visited, enter Shiraz-Fasa road. You will reach the beginning of the lake in about 20 km and if you continue the route, you will reach Maharloo village after about 57 km. This valuable lake needs protection and revitalization more than ever. It was a few years ago that the lake's water dried up completely and came back to life thanks to the good rains. The red color of the lake may bring a strange and beautiful view to the eyes of tourists but the fact is that the deadly presence of red has endangered plant and animal life. We hope that the intellectual authorities will make this very valuable natural resource of Fars and save it from the danger of complete drying up.