Lake Alakol, Salt lake in East Kazakhstan.

Lake Alakol is a closed salt lake on the Balkhash-Alakol lowland, straddling the border of Abai and Zhetysu regions. It measures 104 km from west to east and up to 52 km wide, with a maximum depth of 54 m. Its water is milky turquoise near the sandy shore and deep blue farther out, bordered by reeds and low vegetation.

Between the 12th and 19th centuries the lake carried several names, including Turge-Nor, Alaktagol, Alateniz and Alakta. Under Timur it was called It-Ichmes, 'the dog will not drink', because a litre of its water holds 8 grams of salt. The Kimaks of the 9th to 11th centuries knew it as Gagan, after a town on the site of present-day Koktuma.

The Kazakh name Alaköl comes from ala köl, "bright, many-coloured lake". Between the 12th and 19th centuries it was also called Türge-Nor, Alaktagol, Alateniz and Alakta. The water is used for balneological treatment: it is salty and rich in radon, fluorine and bromine, and the dry steppe air mixed with humid lake air is considered healthful.

The best time to visit is summer when temperatures are comfortable and the shoreline areas become easily accessible. Strong wind can pick up in the afternoon, so mornings work better for calmer conditions near the water.

The sand island Pissek hosts a breeding colony of rare gulls found nowhere else in the region. Visitors can watch the birds from a distance during warm months when they fly over the shallow water.