Qualla: Lake Tar

Lake Tar: Introduction

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Telkamar, CC BY 4.0. Local legend insists that something lives in the water. Villagers around the Alborz Mountains have told stories for generations about mythical creatures inhabiting Lake Tar, a freshwater lake at 3,200 meters elevation where the air is too thin for trees and the water runs so cold it stays uninhabitable for months at a stretch. The lake covers seven square kilometers between the Qara Dagh range to the north and the Zarinkuh Mountains to the south, formed when a massive landslide from Zarinkuh dammed a natural valley. Whatever lurks in the stories, what actually inhabits the lake is remarkable enough: red-spotted trout and rainbow trout thrive in its frigid, spring-fed waters.

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Image: Telkamar | CC BY 4.0

Lake Tar: Born from a Collapsing Mountain

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit همان, CC BY-SA 3.0. Lake Tar owes its existence to geological catastrophe. A massive landslide from Zarinkuh blocked the natural drainage of the valley, creating a basin that filled with water from boiling mineral springs, snowmelt from surrounding peaks, and seasonal rivers flowing from the south. ...

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Image: همان | CC BY-SA 3.0

Lake Tar: Springs That Boil from the Earth

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Buaidh, CC BY-SA 4.0. The Karadagh Mountains harbor numerous boiling springs that feed Lake Tar from below, giving the water a mineral richness unusual for such a high-altitude lake. Seasonal rivers supplement this flow, and the outflow feeds the Tar River, which winds its way down to the city of Dama...

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Image: Buaidh | CC BY-SA 4.0

Lake Tar: Trout, Treasure, and Tall Tales

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Public domain. Anglers have long made the difficult journey to Lake Tar for its trout fishing, particularly during spring when red-spotted trout congregate near the surface. Iran's Environment Bureau has supplemented the native fish populations by releasing redfish and zebrafish into the lake i...

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Image: Public domain

Lake Tar: A High-Altitude Mirror

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Safa.daneshvar, CC BY-SA 4.0. From above, Lake Tar appears as a dark mirror set into barren mountainside. The absence of vegetation along its margins gives it a stark, almost lunar quality that distinguishes it from the green valleys far below. On calm days, the surrounding peaks reflect perfectly in the surf...

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Image: Safa.daneshvar | CC BY-SA 4.0