Tunisia -- Salt Lake

It looks like an eerie moonscape that lacks life. And, even though they are called "lakes", they are not lakes at all. They are expanses of dried mud covered with a thick crust of white or gray salt. The glistening salt in the sun makes them look as though they hold water. Geologists believe these lands were part of the Meditarranean Sea that were formed by tectonic plates that collided. That's why there are mountains and flat lands next to each other.

Greek mythology refers to salt "lakes" as they describe a sea with monsters. In the 12th century, Arab travelers describe crossing these lands. They'd follow the same path in order to avoid being trapped by quicksand as a runaway camel did once and fell through and died.

Arab engineers have built the road that passes through these lands, however, maintenance is constant because the road sinks. We passed a work crew here.

The Arabs called these "lakes" shats  and the French transliterated them to chotts, which means broad canal or estuary. The "lake" that we saw was called Chott El Jerid, the largest in the Sahara Desert. The three chotts in this area are 2,000 square miles in size and nothing lives there and nothing can be built there. (One of the battles in the film, Star Wars, took place here.) 

If it rains, the "lakes" turn to quicksand, so it is necessary to wait two to four weeks for the land to dry before walking on its surface. The water can accumulate to reach three to four feet. Nevertheless, if you dig in the dry mud about the length of your arm, you can reach water. So, if you walk on this mud, you could lose a shoe.

People visit here because it is a gem of Nature. In fact, when our guide was a teenager, he and his family would visit the "lakes". He said when there is water on the "lakes" it is a spectacular sight because the mountains reflect on the water and the salt twinkles. This phenomenon forms a mirage because hot air reflects light and creates an optical illusion. 

In 2023, Tunisian fashion models did a shoot here where they were walking on the "lake". 

There are other minerals here besides salt. For example, the iron makes the soil rusty. Evaporated rain leaves the salt behind and leaves a film of salt on the surface.

 

Many people take a "Sunday" drive to the salt lake. Some have a little fun by pretending they are on the moon. They construct Star Wars characters and plant flags on the desert mounds.

 

  

A factory extracts salt from the salt lakes to sell on the market as an export.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Desert rose is a formation of gypsum and barite with sand inclusions. It's an odd but pretty crusty stone. You can find it in Medina shops. This store was in the desert.

 

Algeria is not that far away from this part of western Tunisia, only 93 miles away.

 

 

Pumping water out of the desert 

Three thousand feet below ground is an aquifer with water that is pumped to the surface. And, it's not just any water; it is very hot water between 113 and 122 degrees Fahrenheit. The water goes through four-story water cooler (notice the steam coming off the building) before it washes down into a series of troughs to bring the temperature way down. The water is used to irrigate palm trees in a nearby oasis of the area. The trees can only tolerate temperatures of 73 degrees F.

 

These men take advantage of the hot water to do a little thermal bathing.

To find more water, engineers are also studying desalinization of the desert water, but the expense at this time is very great. They are also considering a plan that had been concocted by the French in the late 1800s to build lines from the Mediterranean Sea to the salt lakes in order to create an inland "Sahara Sea". Back then this plan folded when the French government withdrew funding.

 

 Resources

Salt lakes -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunisian_salt_lakes