CHARACTERISTICS AND DISTRIBUTION OF LAKES 545 
the sources of the rivers flowing to the coast. Thus the Egerdir Gol 
and the Kereli Gol supply the rivers flowing to the Pamphylian plain 
by subterranean channels, 
Tuzlah Lake (or Tuz Gol). — The largest lake is called by Strabo 
Tatta, and by the Turks Tuzlah, or the Salt-Pan, an epithet well 
deserved from its extreme saltness, which exceeds even that of the 
Dead Sea. It lies at an elevation of 2525 feet, and is about 45 miles 
in length by 18 miles in breadth, but varies in extent with the season, 
sometimes covering an area of 700 square miles. Being very shallow, 
a considerable portion dries up in summer, and becomes covered with 
an incrustation of salt. 
Egerdir Gol and Kereli Gol. — The two lakes, Egerdir Gol and 
Kereli Gol (so named from towns on their shores), situated between 
the ranges of the Sultan-dagh and the Taurus, are both about 30 
miles in length. The former lies about 2800 feet above sea-level, and 
the latter about 800 feet higher. Both are perfectly fresh, and their 
waters clear and deep, though Egerdir Gol has no visible outlet, and 
Kereli Gol communicates only by a small stream with the Soghla 
Gol, the waters of which occasionally disappear entirely. The waters 
are, as already stated, carried off by subterranean channels. 
Buldur Gol lies at an elevation of 2900 feet, and is about 17 miles 
in length by 4 miles in breadth. 
Tchoruk Su Gol (or Lake of Chardak) is a smaller lake lying to 
the north-west of Buldur Gol. Its waters are extremelv salt, and large 
quantities of salt are collected from it. 
The inland drainage area of Palestine, according to some writers, Palestine area, 
forms part of the so-called Great Rift Valley, running from the base of 
the Giaour Dagh, a range of mountains on the borders of Asia Minor 
and Syria (between lat. 37° and 38° N.), to the Red Sea, and extending 
far into the heart of Africa, which will be referred to more particularly 
when dealing with the African lakes. The Jordan rises west of Mount 
Hermon, 1050 feet above sea-level, and, after spreading out into Lake 
Huleh (Waters of Merom) and the Sea of Galilee (Lake of Tiberias), 
discharges its waters into the Dead Sea. From the small Lake Huleh, 
only 6 feet above the level of the Mediterranean, to the Dead Sea, which 
is salt and has no outlet, the course of the Jordan is below sea-level. 
Lake of Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) lies 682 feet below sea-level, 
and is 12 J miles long and 7h miles in greatest width. The waters 
are fresh and clear, and abound in fish. Barrois ^ affirms that 
the lake is nowhere deeper than 130 to 148 feet, according to the 
season, though very much greater depths were previously given by 
other writers (936 feet, Macgregor ; 820 feet, Lortet). The surface 
^ See Quarterly Statement, Palestine Exploration Fund, 1894, p. 211. 
35 
