Couple of years ago I already visited the underground lake in Turkmenistan. Upon my arrival home in June I am doing it again.Kow-Ata (Father of Caves) underground lake located in Bakharden at the foothills of the Kopet-Dag Mountains. At a first glance this underground area looks like magnificent auditorium: the overall length of the cave is 230 m, its height goes up to 20m, and its width is at some points 57m.
The bottom of the cave is covered with lumps of lime. Its warm and running water is clear and emerald colored. Even in artificial lightning tiny stones on the bottom can be seen. As you approach the lake you will feel the air becoming damper and warmer. You can hear sounds like sighs or whispers above your head. These are pigeons which inhabit the cave in great abundance.
The water has a constant temperature 33- 37°C. Chemical analysis has shown that water contains a complex combination of chemical elements-30 have been found to date.
Several legends surround the lake. One is about the cow which every day joined the shepherd’s herd. One day the shepherd followed the cow to find an owner and claim fees. The cow arrived to the lake where an old man was sitting who gave the shepherd a small bag as a shepherding fee. All the shepherd found in the bag was a bunch of fig leaves, which he threw away in disgust. He gave the bag to his wife as a gift, but found one remaining leaf in it, which turned out to be gold. When he rushed back to pick the thrown leaves he found a garden of fig trees but no sign of cow or the old man. That is how the name of the cave originated, and from Turkmen language translates as “the old man in the cave” or “father of caves”.
On the picture, view of the cave from the botton, where the lake is.
