Lake Muldakkul, Salt lake and protected area in Russia

Lake Muldakkul is a salt lake and protected area in Russia with mineral-rich waters that cover a broad expanse of land. The water creates conditions where only specialized organisms and plants can survive.

The lake is a karst basin formed in Carboniferous limestone with argillite layers, its oval hollow stretching north to south. Its curative black muds, about 1 million tonnes, led to the founding of the Yaktykul sanatorium, which uses them; other sanatoriums in Bashkortostan also draw on the deposits.

Locals call the lake Tozlokul, "salt lake" in Bashkir. A legend tells of a rich man's daughter who loved a poor youth; her father's guards killed him, and he rose as Mount Muldak-tau while her tears formed the salt lake. Mud from the lake bed is used by sanatoriums of Bashkortostan, including Yaktykul, built on it.

The lake lies 15 km west of Magnitogorsk, beside the village of Ozyornoye and Muldak-tau mountain, in Abzelilovsky District. Its gently sloping sandy shores are fringed with salt-tolerant plants such as glasswort and reed, and the forest is sparse because of the salt. The water is bitter and salty, so bring drinking water.

The lake's name comes from a Bashkir legend: a rich man's daughter, forbidden to marry a poor youth, wept so long after his death that her tears formed the salt lake, while he became the nearby Muldak-tau mountain. Locals call the lake Tozlokul, meaning "salt lake".