Tuz Gölü turned pink

Algae and bacteria in Tuz Lake, where citizens come to find remedy for orthopedic disorders, have turned the color of the water into pink. When viewed from above, a ‘pink white’ color festival emerged. Tuz Lake, located within the borders of Aksaray, Konya, and Ankara, and being the second largest lake in Turkey, has turned pink due to the algae and bacteria it contains. Every year, Tuz Lake hosts local and foreign tourists. Algae in Tuz Lake produce colored substances in the summer months when heat and salt increase to protect themselves from the harmful rays of the sun. Due to excessive reproduction, bacteria turn the lake into a pink or red color. Tuz Lake, which stands out with its ice blue color in winter and white color in summer, is now experiencing a ‘pink white’ festival. The unique moments where a part of the lake is pink and the other parts are white were recorded by the AA team. Citizens passing through the route also visit Tuz Lake. Citizens who come to find remedy for orthopedic disorders bury their entire body in salty sand. ‘It’s nice to feel the salt under your feet.’ Hüsnü Koç, who came to Tuz Lake with his family, stated to the AA reporter, ‘I have never been here before. I happened to pass by while I was going to Ürgüp. I saw the crowd. I had seen it online before. It’s really a beautiful place. It is also good for our health to step on the salt and water.’ Ali Aktaş, who came to Tuz Lake to find remedy for a meniscus tear on his leg, said, ‘I asked the doctors. They recommended ‘hot salty sand.’ I believe I will benefit from this salt, so I am considering it 90%. I saw the benefit of salty sand 8 to 9 years ago. I hit my ribs on a hard surface. I lay on the hot sand for 2 hours in Didim, the pain disappeared. Let them benefit from here. It would be 90% beneficial for those with joint pain and rheumatism.’ Merve Yüksel, who came to Tuz Lake with her newborn baby, stated that she protected herself from the sun with an umbrella and kept her feet in salty sand for hours. Yüksel said they had buried themselves completely in the salt along with their feet in the past. She said, ‘We also come here for treatment for our feet. Our baby is new. We wanted to show it to him. Salt is a remedy. We also use our own salt but let them soak their feet. If there are those with rheumatism and especially those with fungus on their feet, let them soak.’ It was observed that many tourists from Southeast Asia visited Tuz Lake.