Lake Neor

Lake Neor lies high in the Baghrow mountains south-east of the city of Ardabil, at an altitude of about 2,500 metres. It is one of the largest natural freshwater lakes in north-western Iran, a sheet of water a couple of kilometres across, fed by springs in its bed and by snowmelt from the slopes around it. In winter it freezes over and the road up is often closed by snow.

In summer the lake sits in an open bowl of grassland, and the meadows around it have long been summer pastures for the Shahsevan, the nomadic and semi-nomadic people of the Ardabil region, who bring their flocks up from the lowlands of Moghan as the heat rises. Their round felt tents, and the flocks of sheep grazing down to the water's edge, are part of the lake's familiar scene, though fewer families now make the journey each year than in the past.

The water is cool even in July, and the lake holds trout and other fish. Ardabil itself, at the foot of Mount Sabalan, is known for its cool climate, and on hot summer days families drive up from the city and from much further afield to picnic and camp on the shores. Mist often rolls over the ridges in the afternoon, and the weather can turn quickly.

The lake has a quieter importance too. Like many upland lakes, it is sensitive to changes in rainfall and to the pressures of visitors and grazing, and the environmental authorities have tried to manage both. For those who come early in the morning, before the crowds, it is a place of wide skies and great stillness.