Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
When I took this photo I was puzzled by the bridge. Why did people want to get to
that brain-like blob of rock in Iran? Old satellite images answered that question: Shahi
Island was once surrounded by Lake Urmia, a massive salt lake that was a retreat for
flamingos and other migratory birds as well as flocks of tourists. Over the past two
decades the lake has shriveled. New dams choked off the water supply upstream,
new wells depleted the groundwater, and climate change further accelerated evapor-
ation. Today, 90 percent of the water is gone, Shahi is no longer an island but a pen-
insula, and the birds and holiday-makers have moved on.
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