The view might have come straight out of a child's painting book; the sky so blue and the clouds so white, like candy floss. A bright sun shining over triangular green hills, apple and wild pear trees in blossom, and red tiled houses nestling amongst greenery. A long narrow earth road winds through opium poppy fields whose purple blooms are not yet in bud, orchards, and fields of green crops as transparent as jade in the sun. Its destination is the lake which lies absorbed in the beauty of its own reflection. In its spring garb, bedecked with flowers, its waters shading from pale green to turquoise and dark blue as they become deeper, the lake is tranquilly confident of its own beauty. From the summit of a triangular hill swathed in pine forest, the lake is like a circular glass bead surrounded by a gleaming ring of what looks like powder sugar. It lies alone in this bowl in the mountains, imaginary clouds and mountain tops shimmering in its clear blue mirror. Neither bird nor fish disturbs the water.

Perhaps it likens itself to Narcissus, who fell in love with his own reflection, or in its loneliness finds consolation in its own company. When we descend to the lake shore it seems as fragile as Chinese porcelain, the sunlight filtering delicately through its transparent water and glinting on the encircling white ring. Lake Salda is a tectonic lake formed two million years ago, surrounded by forested hills, rocky outcrops and small alluvial plains. It is one of Turkey's deepest lakes, at 184 metres, and lies at an altitude of 1139 metres. It is located at Yeþilova in the province of Burdur, on the road between Antalya and Pamukkale. Analysis of the lake waters carried out by Hamburg University Department of Chemistry in 1988 showed that the water was pure enough to drink. The secret of this purity is the high level of magnesium sulphate in the water, which means that it harbours few fish or other aquatic life.

Although the lake has a surface area of 4370 hectares today, in the Quaternary Period when there was abundant rainfall it covered a far larger area, reaching to the feet of the surrounding mountains. Ever since then its waters have risen and fallen over a 14-year cycle, but since the 1970s the water level has been diminishing on balance. However, high rainfall and heavy snow over the past two winters have restored the situation somewhat, with a rise of 60 centimetres. Local people say that the snow did not melt until the end of April this year. The lake is fed by the Göl, Degirmendere, Köpek, Çaldan and Sitlikli streams, and by the Sultan Springs to the south. The stream water is used for irrigating the fields around the lake and providing water for livestock. In 1989 the lake was declared a Nature Conservation Area. Many visitors to this beauty spot stay in caravans or tents on camping sites on the shore. Building development is forbidden, so there are only a scattering of pensions and restaurants.