The name of the lake in Tajikistan is a fascinating one! It comes from the name “Iskander” (meaning “Alexander”) and the word “kul” (translated as “lake”). Some legends say that the reservoir got its name because Alexander the Great visited it during a campaign to India from Central Asia. How incredible is that?
The lake, located in the absolutely stunning Fan Mountains, has a fascinatingly rich and long history. It is believed that it was named in honour of the incredible Commander Alexander the Great, whom the locals called Iskander Zulqarnain, which means “Alexander the two-horned” (because of the unusual helmet that resembled horns).
And after Iskander Zulkarnain visited here, the name was changed to Iskanderkul, which is just as fitting!
The lake is located in the northern part of the country, in the Sugd region, which is absolutely breathtaking! Along the way, you'll be treated to some truly breathtaking sights! You'll see snow-capped mountain peaks reaching for the deep blue sky. The area is absolutely stunning, with magnificent blue lakes, fast mountain rivers, and picturesque forests.
The incredible Lake Iskanderkul resembles a triangle in shape! It spans an impressive 3.5 square kilometres! The water is a whopping 70 metres deep! The reservoir's mirror-like surface, surrounded by mountains, looks absolutely amazing! The lake's one-of-a-kind beauty lies in its status as the largest in the mountains, situated at an impressive altitude of over 2,000 metres. The lake is absolutely enormous, with a volume of 172 million cubic metres of water! And get this: the lake has a 14-kilometer coastline!
And right near Lake Iskanderkul, there's an incredible old juniper tree (juniper bush) with branches decorated with colourful ribbons! Everyone who comes to admire the incredible local waterfall leaves something of their own on this tree, and it's a wonderful way to make sure they'll return here again in the future!
Just a stone's throw away, you'll find the incredible 43-meter Fan Niagara waterfall cascading down the river that flows out of the lake. And that's not all! There's also a rock with an inscription dating back to 1870, left behind by the intrepid participants of the expedition led by the renowned Russian traveller and scientist A. Fedchenko.
Just a short distance from Iskanderkul, you'll discover another lake.