Ala Köl or Ala-Kul (Kyrgyz: Алакөл) is a rock-dammed lake in the Terskey Alatau mountain range in the Ak-Suu District of the Issyk-Kul Region in Kyrgyzstan. It lies at an altitude of approximately 3,560 metres (11,680 ft).
Ala-Kul | |
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Ala-Kul | |
Location | Terskey Alatau |
Coordinates | 42°19′3″N 78°32′8″E / 42.31750°N 78.53556°ECoordinates: 42°19′3″N 78°32′8″E / 42.31750°N 78.53556°E |
Lake type | Rock-dammed |
Native name | Алакөл (Kyrgyz) |
Catchment area | 9.46 km2 (3.65 sq mi) |
Basin countries | Kyrgyzstan |
Max. length | 2.3 km (1.4 mi) |
Max. width | 0.7 km (0.43 mi) |
Surface elevation | 3,560 m (11,680 ft) |
History
The lake is already thought to be reported in the account given by Rubruquis of his voyage to the Qaraqorum, but he thinks it to be an inner sea, the oriental end of the Lake Balkach. He gives an approximate description of the area and mentions the winds, which are "so strong that people do not traverse the lake without great peril."[1]
A Russian traveller named Putimtsoff was the first to knowingly visit the lake in 1811. He gave a good description of it, mentioning rocks of different colours in the lake, and the furious winds blowing around the lake. Thirty years later Alexander Schrenk explored the lake and its surroundings.[2]
Literally, the name Ala-kul would mean 'variegated lake,' although it probably takes its name from the Ala-Таu mountains lying further north.[3]
See also
References
- ^ Rubruquis, G. (1255), Voyage dans l'Empire Mongol, p. 188, Petit Biblio Payot Voyageurs
- ^ Bretschneider, E. (1910), Mediæval researches from eastern Asiatic sources: Fragments towards the knowledge of the geography and history of central and western Asia from the 13th to the 17th century, p. 126, Michigan University
- ^ Taylor, Issac (1898), Names and their histories: a handbook of historical geography and topographical nomenclature, p. 317, Rivingtons
External links
- Media related to Ala-Kul at Wikimedia Commons