Lake Chokrak got its name in those distant years when the Crimean peninsula was entirely under the rule of the Tatars. It was the representatives of this nation that gave the lake such an interesting name that in translation into Russian it means "fontanelle". This lake is located near such famous reserves as Stone Grave and Askania Nova. Lake Chokrak is included in the list of unique places in Europe. And this is no coincidence. Indeed, for many centuries it has been a source of mud with unique medicinal properties.

Geographic location of the island

Lake Chokrak is located in the unusually beautiful coast of the Azov Sea. The hero city of Kerch and the popular village of Kurortnoye are located not far from the lake. Chokrak has a fairly large area - 8.7 square kilometers, as well as a relatively shallow depth, which reaches a maximum of 1.3 meters.

The geographical location of the lake can rightfully be considered unique. On three sides, its banks are surrounded by steep rocks, on which such medicinal plants as hawthorn, wild rose, willow-herb, thyme and many others grow. But as for the fourth side, the northern one, it rests against a small sandy strip only 350 meters wide, behind which the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov stretches.

In some places, the lake bottom is replete with hydrogen sulfide springs, the water from which is rich in various substances and minerals: aluminum, bromine, iodine, manganese and others. It is these hydrogen sulphide waters, together with the mud of Lake Chokrak, that have the therapeutic effect for which in summer tourists come to this lake not only from Ukraine, but also from other countries.

Historical facts about the use of mud from Lake Chokrak

It is quite difficult to establish the exact age of this lake. However, the first written mention of the existence of this lake dates back to 77-70 years BC. Thus, we can conclude that Metaka (the name of the lake at that time) has existed for more than 2000 years. Also, ancient manuscripts tell us the fact that the Bosporan king Mithridates VI Eupator treated his joint pains with the mud of this island.

It is known for certain that in those distant years, a temple was even erected on the shores of this healing lake. This suggests that only the priests of the temple could sell the healing mud, and also heal the sick with it.

Another mention of the Chokrak lake dates back to the 14th century AD. The historical archive of the city of Feodosia keeps within its walls a most curious document. It is a calculation of the expenses that a Byzantine merchant carried out in his time. In it, he entered information about how much it cost him to purchase and deliver Chokrak mud. Tellingly, the merchant traded not in mud, but in slaves. According to the document, the dirt was delivered to Kafa. This city at that time was one of the largest centers of the slave trade. And it was with this mud that slaves were treated before being sold.

In 1895, the first mud hospital in Crimea was built on the shores of the lake.

A few words about the healing properties of the mud of Lake Chokrak

As modern studies show, people who lived before our era did not use the mud of the Chokrak lake for healing purposes. Today this fact has been proven by scientists. Research also shows that the mud of the Chokrakovskoye Lake is ecologically clean and has an excellent sanitary and epidemiological condition. Thanks to this, Chokrak is included in the list of the best mud deposits on our planet.

Also, studies carried out in the twentieth century by scientists have shown that the mud in Lake Chokrak contains substances such as brine, silt mud, hydrogen sulfide, trace elements and many others. The formation of healing mud is facilitated by mud volcanoes and mineral springs. And this is one of the main features!

Diseases for which the Chokrak lake mud is effective

For more than a decade, Crimean sanatoriums have been using therapeutic mud to cure the following diseases:

• gynecological (diseases of the pelvic cavity, infertility, functional ovarian failure);
• musculoskeletal system (rheumatism, arthrosis, polyarthritis);
• organs of the gastrointestinal tract (gastritis, bowel disease);
• nervous system (radiculitis, polyneuritis).

The list of diseases for which mud has a healing effect was compiled by specialists from the Odessa Institute of Medical Rehabilitation on the basis of the research. The mud has also been found to have a cosmetic effect.

It is located next to the Chokrak mineral springs, which were studied in the 19th century, as mentioned in the works of Bertenson "Mineral waters and mud" (1884). The therapeutic mud of Chokrak is one of the best in the territory of the former Soviet Union and, according to a number of leading experts, in its properties it significantly surpasses the mud of the Moinak and Saki lakes.

Even before the revolution, there were salt mines on Chokrak and they belonged to Ginzbur. Salt was also mined here in the 1920s. The lake is located so close to the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov that it was fed by its waters and formed salt reserves.
The medicinal part of the lake from its industrial part was fenced off by a dam. The mud bath, founded by the Association of Physicians, was located on the eastern shore of the lake.

People from all over Russia came here for treatment. Despite the remoteness from the city, the hospital was well supplied with food by the inhabitants of the surrounding villages. Chokrak is valuable for both mud and mineral waters, brine. Mud therapy restores mobility in the joints, resolves inflammatory infiltrates, heals wounds faster and restores mobile nerve trunks: bones heal faster in case of fractures.

Chokrak mineral springs are of great medicinal value, which are similar in composition to those of Matsesta. belong to the group of mixed sulphurous waters, that is, to hydrogen sulphide-salt waters. They are subject to diseases of the cardiovascular system, organs of movement, nervous system, skin diseases ...

The first official birth of the mud baths is 1859. But these muds, as healing ones, were known in ancient times, and the lake was considered sacred. Chokrak was treated with mud, the Bosporus king and great conqueror Alexander the Great, the Pechenegs, and the Cossacks.

And in the late 20s - early 30s of the last century, the development of mud therapy on Chokrak received a scientific basis. Highly qualified specialists, supported by a large staff of staff, worked here.

Many decades have passed since then, and at the beginning of this century, perhaps the last witness of those events, Valentina Zinovievna Karmasheva, recalled: “My father, Zinovy \u200b\u200bDmitrievich Karmashev, was the last director of the Chokrak mud baths. In support of this, I present to you for publication a photograph of the staff of the sanatorium, on which I ended up as a 12-year-old girl. I am sitting at my father's feet in a light kerchief - in the first row, the third from the right.
I found this photo, going through my archive, then I was still a child and therefore I do not remember who's name. But I can still remember something. In the top row, the second and third from the left are the Glavatskys (they are without robes), who lived on the territory of the sanatorium. He studied the sulfur springs of Chokrak, mud, brine ... I think he was a hydrologist by profession. My father is surrounded by doctors (to the left of the second from him - the head doctor). There are two nurses next to me on the right. The top row is the staff of the sanatorium, mainly from the service personnel.

I was born in 1922. And this is what I remember from my distant childhood. I also remember that one poet or writer from Yalta was at our house, talked with parents, and then published a number of articles in the "Kerch Rabochiy" ...

The same doctor GI Rusin, after the reopening of the hospital in 1926, naively believed that the Stalinist government would provide material support for the further development of the Chokrak resort. Moscow judged differently.

In the eastern outskirts of Kerch, not far from the village of Kurortnoye, there is the famous Chokrak Lake, one of the unique mud-healing lakes in Russia. Its name Chokrak means "spring" in Crimean Tatar language.

But if in the usual sense a spring is a source of the purest water, the situation with the Chokrak basin is quite the opposite. Dirtier, more oily and blacker water, perhaps, cannot be found on the entire Crimean coast. But it was these properties that brought the popularity of the Kerch sight. Every summer thousands of tourists come here to plunge into the healing Chokrak mud.

You should be careful when entering the lake, as its bottom is very slippery. Usually tourists in a friendly chain along the beaten path descend into and out of the “water”. And if you follow along, there will be much more chances to stay on your feet. Plunging into the warm, velvety black mass, you feel how the mud pleasantly envelops the body. The main rule on Chokrak is not to get your eyes dirty.

Those who are fortunate enough to swim in the waters of the Dead Sea notice a similarity in sensations. The density of Chokrak water also allows it to practically lie on its surface. An attempt to stand up or roll over on its side sometimes turns into a funny attraction here.

For many centuries, Chokrak's brine and mud have been used both in cosmetics and for the treatment of various diseases of the musculoskeletal system, gynecology, urology, nervous system, etc. Chokrak mud is unique in its composition. In addition to brine, silt suspension and hydrogen sulfide, it contains useful organic substances. There are several mud volcanoes at the bottom of the lake, enriching the lake with finely dispersed minerals. The healing power of mud is enhanced by a huge list of microorganisms and algae, most of which are characteristic only of this lake. Compared to the mud of the Saka springs, the Chokrak mud has a higher concentration of silver and bromine.

Researchers have established that the first evidence of the existence of the lake dates back to the 1st century BC. It is also known that the Bosporan tsar used the Chokrak mud to treat joint pain. During his reign, there was a temple on the shores of the lake, only the priests had the right to sell mud and heal the sick with it. From the end of the 19th century to the Great Patriotic War, there was a famous mud baths here. Today, as part of the organization of the tourism cluster "Zone of absolute health" on the banks of the Chokrak, they also plan to build a large-scale balneological center.

Anyone can plunge into the healing Chokrak. And not only for medical reasons. For many tourists, Lake Kerch is a unique local attraction. After swimming in Chokrak, almost everyone follows an established tradition - they take pictures for memory in the company of the same cheerful "devils". A popular souvenir from the lake is a plastic bottle filled with mud. No magnet with the image of a local landmark can be compared in its usefulness and uniqueness with the “healing” greeting from Kerch.

An isthmus 40 meters wide separates the lake from the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov. A special pleasure - after a couple of minutes, be on a sandy beach and wash off the mud with sea water.

In summer, a campground grows on the isthmus between the sea and the lake. According to visitors, to experience all the charms of Chokrak, you need to live on the coast for at least 3-4 days. By the way, those who are closer to civilized rest can (Russian Mom).

You can get to the village of Kurortnoye from the Kerch bus station by bus # 69. From the village Chokrak is located at a distance of 3 km.

Chokrak lake videos

A mud-cure lake on the Kerch Peninsula near the village of Kurortnoye. Located between the village and and separated from the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov by a small isthmus. Lake Chokrak - the most mineralized in Crimea (27.9%), due to which its mud is used to treat many diseases. Which ones, you will find out further!

Chokrak lake - mud therapy, medicinal properties

Both salt and brine and hydrogen sulfide springs and even mud volcanoes located at the bottom of the lake participate in the formation of the healing mud. In general, the Kerch Peninsula is famous for its active mud volcanoes, some of which reach 138 meters (Dzhau-Tepe volcano). Lake Chokrak in Crimea reaches a depth of 1.3 meters, and the total reserves of mud are estimated at 4600 thousand m³.

Chokrak mud is used for the production of cosmetics and soaps. It includes silt, brine, organic matter and hydrogen sulfide. It is used to treat gynecological diseases, diseases of the musculoskeletal system, digestive tract and nervous system, including:

• rheutamism;
• rhinitis;
• pharyngitis;
• infertility;
• osteochondrosis;
• psoriasis;
• arthrosis;
• rheumatism;
• radiculitis and others.

Treatment in the lake is contraindicated for pregnant women, diabetics, asthmatics and those who suffer from tuberculosis, hypertension and arrhythmia.

Attention! The healing properties of the mud are stored for 10-15 minutes, and then you can wash it off in the sea.

The reservoir is saline, and its medicinal properties have long been known to the inhabitants of the peninsula. For example, in 66 BC. e. here the ruler of the Bosporus Mithridates Eupator was treated. Due to its unique properties, the mud was sold at a fabulous price, and only gold or an alloy of gold and silver was paid for.

The mud of Lake Chokrak was considered one of the income items of the Bosporus kingdom.

They were used by the soldiers of Alexander the Great and the Crimean khans. They used the healing mud of Lake Chokrak to give the slaves who were sold in the slave markets of Kafa.

In 1895, a mud bath was built here near Chokrak, which has not survived to this day. And the exporters of mud were Italy and France. In ancient times, the lake was called Metaka.

Lake Chokrak in Crimea - how to get

You can get on a regular bus going from Kerch to Kurortnoye (they leave 2 times a day, in the summer - 4 times). From the village you need to walk about 2 km to the west along the sea.

The road through Kerch is the only one paved towards the lake. Although the construction of the highway from the Voikovo side has now begun.

Lake Chokrak in Crimea is located near the former military unit, and behind it begins the Karalar Landscape Park and General's beaches, which are comfortable sandy bays stretching along the coast of the Azov Sea for many kilometers.

Received from the Crimean Tatar word "spring". This reservoir is a storehouse of useful substances, as well as a truly unique place throughout Europe. In the event that you have not yet visited this area, you should know: there are a number of good reasons to visit it.

Lake fame

Chokrak is famous for the healing properties of its mud, which is used to treat many diseases. The reservoir is located near the village of Kurortnoye, which is about 20 km from Kerch. Speaking about the size of the Chokrak medicinal lake, it should be noted that its area is approximately 9 square meters. km, while the depth is no more than 1.5 m. At the very bottom of the reservoir, as well as near its shore (from the east), there are a number of hydrogen sulfide sources. In addition, there is a well with crystal clear water. The only barrier between the lake and the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov is a mound of sand and shells.

Healing mud

The lake is valued for the presence of hydrogen sulfide waters in it. Lake Chokrak in the Crimea is famous for the presence of mud, which stores its healing properties, known since ancient times. For the first time they started talking about the "magic" reservoir back in the 1st century BC. e. In those days, healing mud was known not only among local residents. Similar sources were actively used in Greece and Asian countries. As the data of modern scientific works show, the mud of the lake really has miraculous properties and is able to cure a person from many ailments.

Lake Chokrak in Crimea has an excellent location. About a few minutes walk from the reservoir is the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov. The benefits of therapeutic mud are so great that many sanatoriums use them to improve the health of their patients. People with health problems tend to get to this source, as numerous reviews speak of the incredible effect of such treatment. This reservoir can be called one of the highest quality places for the accumulation of medicinal mud.

What diseases does dirt fight

The medical use of mud from Lake Chokrak (Crimea) is effective in the fight against various gynecological ailments, disorders of the musculoskeletal system, as well as skin diseases. It also finds its application in cosmetology - for skin rejuvenation, for example. Dirt also has a good effect in diseases of the peripheral and central nervous system, organs of the gastrointestinal tract, urological disorders in the stronger sex, problems with the ears, throat or nose.

Today, on the basis of the mud of Lake Chokrak, a huge number of various cosmetic and medicinal preparations are produced, which are popular in many countries. Note that it is not necessary to apply it in its pure form to the affected area. The composition of the healing mixture contains salt brine, silt, as well as hydrogen sulfide, various trace elements and useful substances. Perhaps the main characteristic of therapeutic mud is that not only mineral springs, but also mud volcanoes, which are located in the coastal zones and at the very bottom of the reservoir, take part in its formation.

The composition of the reservoir

At the moment, experts do not undertake to speak exactly about the "chemistry" of Lake Chokrak in Crimea. Nevertheless, it is known that no substances unsafe for health were found there. The composition of the mud is a miraculous set of natural substances with powerful healing properties. It is believed that to date, medicine has not yet managed to compile a complete list of the unique effects of this reservoir - most likely, there are much more of them than has been established. Note that local residents use salt from Lake Chokrak and at the same time do not face dental diseases and disorders of the thyroid gland.

Recreation

Lake Chokrak is a great place for tourism, including family tourism. Here you have the opportunity not only to relax in body and soul, but also to strengthen your health. However, this magical place is not well known enough. It is difficult to find any large medical institution here aimed at receiving patients. However, in the summer, you can see a large number of people deliberately stained from head to toe, who learned about the healing properties of local mud and decided to see them on their own experience. It can be both local residents and visitors living in tents nearby.

If you decide to travel to Lake Chokrak, keep in mind that you can get to it from the bus station, where you should take a suburban bus or minibus. If you have your own vehicle, you can drive to the reservoir on your own. Finding your way will not be difficult. In this case, you need to make your way through the village of Voikovo. However, one must prepare for the fact that there is no “civilized” road directly behind this village. Here the asphalt ends, so you have to go more slowly.

In addition to the miraculous mud, on the lake you can find many beautiful wild bays and beautiful sandy beaches. With regard to cultural recreation, even in this quiet place, it is provided for you. There are many different attractions, including historical monuments. It is also known that from time to time excavations of ancient settlements take place in this place. And about a couple of decades ago, the local bays were used for recreation of the highest command army personnel (in this regard, the name appeared - General's bays). As for modern times, these bays are accessible to anyone.

The use of mud from Lake Chokrak (Crimea) will help get rid of numerous health problems and strengthen your immune system. This natural source of health is a must-see if you are planning a vacation on the peninsula.