Göygöl (lake)

Göygöl (Azerbaijani: Göygöl, literally "the Blue Lake") is a natural impounded lake in Azerbaijan. It is situated at the footsteps of Murovdag, not far from Ganja.[2]

For other uses, see Goygol (disambiguation).

Göygöl
Göygöl
Coordinates40°24′N 46°19′E
TypeLandslide dam
Basin countriesAzerbaijan
Max. length2,800 m (9,200 ft)
Surface area0.79 km2 (0.31 sq mi)[1]
Max. depth89 m (292 ft)
Surface elevation1,556 m (5,105 ft)

History

Due to an earthquake which hit the area on 25 September 1139, parts of the Kapaz Mount collapsed and blocked the path of the Kürəkçay River.[3] As a result of diversion of water flow, a lake with pure mountain water was created, hence the name given signifying the pureness of the water. The nearby city of Khanlar was renamed after the Göygöl Lake on 25 April 2008. The city founded as Helenendorf by first German settlers in Azerbaijan in 1819 and with considerable German minority until 1941 had been renamed to Khanlar in 1938. In 1941, German settlers were relocated by Soviet authorities to Kazakhstan and their homes were filled by Armenians by orders of Anastas Mikoyan.[4] In 1925 the lake was incorporated into the newly founded "Goy Gol State Reserve" which was superseded as Göygöl National Park in 2008.

General information

Greater Göygöl area is often split into 19 lakes, 8 of which fall into large lakes category, Maralgol, Zelilgöl, Qaragöl among them. It is situated at 1,556 meters above the sea level.[5] The complete length reaches 6,460 meters. The depth of the lake is 93 meters.[6] Due to pureness of the water, one can see underwater life clearly 8–10 meters below the surface. The lake fauna is very rich. The Göygöl Trout has evolved from the river trout since the natural creation of the lake. The Göygöl area is known for dry winters and mild to warm summers. Rainfalls range from 600 to 900 mm. There is an Azerbaijani Army corps close to Göygöl.[7] The lake is a major tourist attraction during the spring and summer seasons. In 2009, more than 4500 tourists have visited Goygol. Among the tourists, many are German nationals. In the vicinity of Göygöl, there are settlements once populated by ethnic Germans, many monuments of German culture and an old German Lutheran church built in 1854.[8]

In pop culture

Due to its beauty, the lake has been an inspiration for many novels, poems and music bands.[9][10]

See also

Notes
  1. Ministry of Ecology of Azerbaijan: Lakes Archived 17 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Большая Советская Энциклопедия: Гейгель
  3. “Погляди на Гейгель, королеву озер”... 24.11.05 Фаик ЗАКИЕВ Archived 22 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 30 September 2010
  4. Гейгель отмечает свое 189-летие – 23.08.2008 First News Retrieved on 30 September 2010
  5. "The Map of Azerbaijan". Media-az.com. Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
  6. Гейгельский Национальный Парк
  7. DÖVLƏT TƏBİƏT QORUQLARI: Göy-göl Dövlət Təbiət Qoruğu Archived 26 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  8. 10.07.2010 First News Retrieved on 30 September 2010
  9. GÖY GÖL – ƏHMƏD CAVAD
  10. "Göygöl"ün 40 yaşı qeyd edilib. 30.01.2010 Ayna newspaper. Xatun Archived 8 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 30 September 2010
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