– While you take your first steps on sun-baked black mud towards salt-covered rocks on the ground, it greets you with a pitiful silence of rusted ships. All you see is salt crystals on the arid shores while only thing running through your mind is “once upon a time there was a vast lake right here”. 
 

Lake Urmia, located in the northwestern corner of Iran, once used to be the largest lake in Middle East and sixth largest saltwater lake in the world besides of having the title of largest lake in Iran. The lake was considered as one the top touristic and cultural symbols of the region. But now days, the lake is far away from its former glorious days. It’s not completely dried yet but contains only 5% of the water it did just two decades ago.
  

Experts say that combination of several environmental problems like climate change, damming of 13 permanent rivers and small springs feeding the lake and a prolonged drought were the main reason of water decline. While many believe all the water is lost due to evaporation caused by high degrees of heat.
   

The lake is not facing a danger of drying out, it’s drying now. For the majority of Azerbaijani population it is worrying.  For many years, Lake Urmia was one of the most popular destinations for tourists; as lots of people spend the summer holidays on its safe water. There wasn’t any danger of drowning because of the high levels of salt. It was also home to 212 species of birds, 41 reptiles, 7 amphibians, and 27 species of mammals including the Iranian yellow deer and groups of migrant flamingos and pelicans. Lake Urmia is also a registered UNESCO biosphere reserve for any scientific research.
   

The black mud found in its shores, was mineral rich and had benefits for skin and rheumatic afflictions. The rich salt reserves found there had a significant industrial role. The lake was attracting foreign visitors from Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan and also had a great impact on economy of region.
 

It’s heartbreaking to see the dying lake in such a silence but there are still hopes that shriveled Urmia Lake may one day recover its former greatness in future. There were actions taken, and we are waiting to see how effective they will be. It’s almost impossible to predict a date for Lake Urmia’s probable comeback.

  Until then, keeping the hopes alive is only thing Iranians can do.