Qurago Wetland is one of the amazing lakes of Ranya, located 5 kilometers from the center of Ranya and between Ranya and Ranya port. This lake is bordered by Dugoman village in the north, Dukan Dam in the south, Chomasutaw village in the east, and Bosken village in the west.
"Qurago" Wetland is therefore called a wetland because its water is constantly stagnant and does not flow through it; a place where its water is stagnant and putrefies. When the sunlight hits it, it smells bad because the water is not flowing.
The lake is circular, 370 meters in diameter, and 27 meters deep. The lake is more than five thousand years old and was formed by natural and environmental changes far from human control.
Characteristics of the Qurago
The water of the wetland is at the same level in all four seasons and neither increases nor decreases nor flows away, so it has an unpleasant smell like eggs. However, this characteristic has made the water and dew underneath, used as a treatment for diseases, and many people to treat skin diseases and allergies or people with itching, come to visit this wetland and swim in it or take some of the water with them. Since ancient times, citizens of Ranya, its surroundings, and remote areas have come to this place for the treatment of skin diseases.
Qurago Wetland is purple!
Obviously, water has no smell, taste, or color, but the water has an unpleasant odor that is like the smell of eggs and tastes salty, so it is not suitable for drinking and the color often turns purple. As its temperature changes, the color of the water also changes between blue, pink, purple, and white. However, it often appears in purple, which gives the lake and the area a distinction. The wetland is also home to a number of rare reptiles that are endangered in the world such as some species of fish, worms, and turtles that are not found in other lakes. The reason for the change in the color of the water is due to some of these reptiles, high salinity levels, high temperatures, some types of algae, and bacteria, and the presence of chemical elements such as sulfur. All these components have caused the activity of the components to increase in summer due to high temperatures, thus changing the color of the lake.
Due to the characteristics of the composition and color of the wetland, it can be an important tourist attraction in the Kurdistan Region. This means that there are natural raw materials, but the human development aspect has been completely neglected by the government. Neither the government has paid any attention to introducing the wetland nor in terms of roads, which have a difficult road and vehicular access to the area is difficult.
If turned into a tourist destination, it will develop the tourism sector and provide an income for the region.
