In the nowadays occupied territories of Crimea there is a place of surreal beauty: Lake Lemuria, with shallow waters in incredibly shades of reddish-pink. The lake is on the shore of the Syvash, a lagoon known as the Putrid Sea or Rotten Sea, in the Azov-Syvash National Nature Park. A salt-friendly algae, rich in beta-carotene and multiplying exponentially is the one responsible for the unexpected color (and famous odor, since the algae decompose when the lake partially evaporates over the summer)
The 5 meters deep slit at the bottom of the lagoon sets the standard for the Putrid Sea, as one of the highest salinity in the world. Although extraction and export were once heavily practiced in the region, it’s estimated that there are still 200 million tons of salt left in the area.
Almost 10 years ago, Sergey Anashkevych, a Crimean photographer, rediscovered the stunning beauty of an abandoned salt mine, while travelling by train. He decided to go back and capture its beauty in detail.
Since then, the magnetic aura of this area attracted both retina sensitive people, but also those in quest of the saline water’s therapeutic power.
When the war will be over and Ukraine will get back its territories, that’s a bucket list spot to explore.
