A beauty created by an earthquake – Lake Maralgol

As the most part of the territory of Azerbaijan is covered by mountains, many natural beauties are hidden between them. Lake Maralgol is one of the mentioned charms that is located in the height of 1910 m and surrounded by mountains in Lesser Caucasus Range. The most interesting fact about the lake is its creation history.

A little bit of history...

One of the most tragic earthquakes of the history happened in 1139, which had resulted in even the collapse of Ganja city. However, the city was not the only thing that was destroyed by the earthquake. Kepez Mountain (one of the biggest in the Lesser Caucasus) had collapsed during the earthquake and the remains of the mountain blocked the path of Agsu River. Although the earthquake was horrible, as a consequence of it, wonderful lakes such as Maralgol, Goygol and many other small lakes came into existence.

Lake Maralgol

Lake Maralgol is one the must see that you should visit while you are in Azerbaijan. The lake is located in the footsteps of Murovdag – few hundred meters above the Lake Goygol. There are 296 stairs, which you should follow to reach Maralgol. Once you reach the lake, a breathtaking view is welcoming you with an incredible nature. Unlike Goygol, Maralgol is surrounded by a subalpine meadow, which is a great place to have a picnic. Besides that, the meadow contains various herbs, which are used as a medicine in traditional recipes, as well as in preparing tea.

Generally, tours to Lake Goygol and Lake Maralgol are organized together, as they are close to each other. As Lake Goygol comes first, the tour starts with Goygol. Then tourists go further to Maralgol. It takes just 15 minutes to reach Maralgol from Goygol by bus. However, the bus cannot drive near the lake. You need to walk a little bit (296 stairs) as well in order to see the lake.

The Legend

The name Maralgol means “Deer Lake” from direct translation; however, Maral is also a name in Azerbaijan given to girls. According to the legend, the name of Maralgol comes from the name of a princess of Ganja. Thus, the legend says that, there was a princess in Ganja named Maral. As the princess loved the lake so much, the lover of the princess built a water spring, which flew into the lake to prevent dissolution of the lake. Therefore, the lake named after the princess Maral as Maralgol.

Göygöl National Park

97GX+VW Azgilli, Azerbaijan

Lake Maralgöl

Maralgol, Azerbaijan