Sayram Lake
By admin on 2015-01-14

As the largest alpine lake in Xinjiang, Sayram Lake is a fairyland with wonderful natural scenery. The lake is like a brilliant emerald inlaid in the basin surrounded by Tianshan Mountai. In Mongolian language, the name of the lake means 'a lake on the ridge'. In Kazak, sayram means 'blessing'.

The lake is 90 kilometers southwest of the Bole City, on the north side of the Urumchi-Yining Road, and is connected to the Fruit Valley of Yili at Songshutou in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It encompasses an area of 457 square kilometers. The fault basin is at an elevation of 2,073 meters. The lake, about 90 meters deep at the greatest depth, holds 21 billion cubic meters of water.

About 70 million years ago, during the Himalayas' period of orogenic movement, this section of the Tianshan Mountains sank in suddenly and the Sayram Lake, which geologists call the rift-valley lake, came into being.

The lake is a wonderful natural water resource and is surrounded by lush grasslands. Tucked away in the mountains, it's secluded and, on occasions, misty. The surrounding snow-capped peaks and the dragon spruce plants on the mountains give a picture postcard feel to the area.

The scenery is quite varied in four seasons. In winter, the cold wind stirs a boundless wave which splashes the bank, and the mist can even hide the snow-capped mountains. In spring, the mountain slope is covered with a green blanket dotted with colored blooming flowers. Summer and autumn are the best seasons to travel to Sayram Lake. The water in the lake is very peaceful, and the lake surface is as smooth as a mirror.