Ayding Lake

Dried-up salt lake

The lake Aydingkol ( Uighur ئايدىڭكۆل, Ayding Kɵli, Ayding kul, Chinese艾丁湖, Pinyin Aiding Hu) is located about 150 km southeast of Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, in the center of about 50,000 km ² Turpan Depression to 155 meters below sea level. This lake is the fourth- lowest lake after the Dead Sea, the Sea of ​​Galilee and the Lake Assal. It is fed by the melting snow from the mountains, the water evaporates in the summer and the washed salt remains.

The parched, about 152 km ² area of ​​the lake is about 50 km from the oasis city of Turpan removed and extends about 40 km from east to west and 8 km from north to south. Here Glauber's salt is mined.