Krasnodar Territory has been famous for many centuries for its healing air, life-giving springs and bewitching original beauty. The lakes of the Krasnodar Territory are very numerous and diverse. Among them there are those in which the water is icy even in the hottest months, and there are those that warm up to +30. Abrau, Ryaboe, Kardyvach, Khanskoe are the blue pearls of this region, each of which has its own history and its own characteristics.
The lake that helped Khan Girey
About 60 km southeast of Yeysk and 185 km northwest of Krasnodar lies the amazing Khan Lake. According to legend, the great Khan Giray and his harem once bathed in it, and the ladies became much younger and more beautiful after water procedures, and the Khan himself became stronger and he althier. As if he even built a palace for himself on the lake shores. Perhaps it was so, because the waters of Lake Khanskoye are rich in micro- and macroelements, and its mud is healing. The locals call it Khanka, or Tatarsky. Previously, not far from this water body there was a farm Tatarskaya hell. In the 60s of the 19th century, the Tatars who lived there moved to Turkey, and the village of Yasenskaya arose on the site of the settlement, which still exists. On the other side of the lake lies the village of Kopanskaya. Khanskoelocated on the Yeysk Peninsula. It is separated from the Sea of Azov by a narrow spit of sand and shells. Year after year, it was “built” by sea waves until they cut off part of the bay from the sea. This is how Khan Lake was born.
Healing water and mud
The first studies to determine the chemical composition of water and mud silt in Khanskoye were carried out as early as 1913, and in 1921 the first medical resort was opened there. It is now reliably known that the waters of the lake are about 12 times more saline and concentrated than the sea of Azov. Mud in its composition have sulfates, carbonates, sodium, potassium, magnesium, which, in fact, is famous for Khan Lake. In Yeysk - in sanatoriums - these muds are successfully used to treat diseases of the heart and blood vessels, bones and joints, nervous, skin and many other diseases. There are no medical and he alth facilities on the shores of the lake itself. Those who wish to rest and heal there can stay in one of the hotels in Yeysk or in the private sector of nearby farms and villages.
Lake Problems
Once Khan Lake was a wonderful body of water about 16 km long and 8 km wide. In its waters, despite the shallow depth (0.8-0.9 m, in some places - about 2 m), bearings, perches, crucian carp, pike perch splashed. Many birds nested along the banks, some of them were listed in the Red Book. Even mammals were found in coastal reeds and bushes. Cut off from the sea by a sandy spit, the lake lived on meltwater and rain. In strong winds hethere was also sea water. But in the summer, during the intense heat, it would still dry up in places, and then s alt was mined there. At present, the picture is different. Most of the water area dried up, the fish died, the birds and other living creatures, left without food, moved to other places. Now here is a paradise for fans of kiting, buggy and mountainboarding. Salvation from the final disappearance of the lake as a reservoir is carried out by scientists, ecologists and all people who are not indifferent to this problem. Let's hope everything works out for them.
Abrau, Kardyvach and others
Tourists are interested not only in Khan Lake. The Krasnodar Territory has more than 200 unique reservoirs. There are among them not only s alty, but also fresh. The largest is Lake Abrau, which lies 15 km from Novorossiysk. On its shore is the village of Abrau-Dyurso, where world-famous wine is made. Lake Kardyvach is considered one of the most beautiful on Earth. It lies surrounded by mountain ranges with snow-white peaks, silently reflected in the water surface, as if in a mirror. Kardyvach is a rather large lake in size, the second after Abrau. There are also small, but no less wonderful reservoirs in the Krasnodar Territory. Some - for example, Ryaboe, Psenody or Cheshe - are located in places so inaccessible that there are almost no tourists there. Others, such as Delfinier, are widely known to the public and quite popular. A dolphinarium was created in this lake, lying on Cape Utrish, so there are always a lot of tourists here.
Natural balneological clinics
Not only Khanskoea lake in the Krasnodar Territory is rich in healing mud. In the village of Golubitskaya there is another one, also called Golubitsky. It, like the Khanskoe, is separated from the sea by a sandy spit, and is also fed by sea water during strong waves. Mud Golubitsky contain bromine, iodine, hydrogen sulfide. They are very dense, in contact with the body they are able to form a special type of film, so that people easily tolerate mud therapy.
In total, the Taman Peninsula has three healing reservoirs: Golubitskoye in the south, S alt in the north and Markitanskoye in the east. The latter was formed in much the same way as the Khanskoe, it is fed by melt waters. The layer of mud silts in it reaches 50 cm. By type, the Markitan lake is chloride-magnesium-sodium. Another balneological reservoir, called Chemburka, is located in Anapa. The mud of this lake is highly colloidal, slightly polluted, plastic and viscous, with a high thermal effect. The Krasnodar Territory is also famous for its mud estuaries, which are not much different from lakes. These are Kiziltashsky, Vityazevsky, Bugazsky and Tsokur. All of them are separated from the sea by a narrow sandy spit, which is very convenient for vacationers, since after taking balneological baths you can always swim in clear sea water.
S alt Lake, Krasnodar Territory
This lake fully justifies its name, as it is one of the most s alty in the region (400 ppm). It lies between the Bugazsky estuary and a cape called the Iron Horn. The size of Solyony is 1.5 km long and 1 km wide, and the maximumdepth - only 30 cm.
There are places where it barely reaches the ankle. Its highest salinity creates a kind of decoration around the reservoir - a white s alt border. The mud of the lake is highly mineralized and includes magnesium, sulfides, sodium, bromine, iodine, and hydrogen sulfide. All micro and macro elements also have a fairly high concentration, approximately 300 grams per 1 liter of mud. In the hot season, S alt dries up completely, presenting white layers of s alt to the eyes. It is advisable to walk on them in shoes so as not to get hurt. And under their layer is in a semi-liquid state of dirt.
