Shorabil is a lake located in a hilly area south of the Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

ian city of Ardabil

Ardabil

Ardabil is a historical city in north-western Iran. The name Ardabil probably comes from the Zoroastrian name of "Artavil" which means a holy place. Ardabil is the center of Ardabil Province. At the 2006 census, its population was 412,669, in 102,818 families...

. Ardabil University

Mohaghegh Ardabili University

Mohaghegh Ardabili University is a university in Ardabil Province of Iran.Established in 1978 as "The Agricultural Institute" under the supervision of Tabriz University, it became independent in 1996 as a separate university.The university currently offers 79 degrees in 5 colleges....

 is located near the lake.

The surface of the lake is 640,000 m², and is covered with a thin white layer of mineral

Mineral

A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...

s which are useful in healing skin

Skin

-Dermis:The dermis is the layer of skin beneath the epidermis that consists of connective tissue and cushions the body from stress and strain. The dermis is tightly connected to the epidermis by a basement membrane. It also harbors many Mechanoreceptors that provide the sense of touch and heat...

 disease

Disease

A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...

s and rheumatism

Rheumatism

Rheumatism or rheumatic disorder is a non-specific term for medical problems affecting the joints and connective tissue. The study of, and therapeutic interventions in, such disorders is called rheumatology.-Terminology:...

. The leisure complex of Shorabil is located near the lake. The lake is ringed by a scenic roadway offering views of the lake and the nearby Sabalan

Sabalan

Sabalan is an inactive stratovolcano in Ardabil province of northwestern Iran. It is the third highest mountain in Iran with a permanent crater lake formed at its summit. Sabalan has a ski resort and different tourist areas such as the Sarein spa...

 mountain.

The basin was covered with mud and high concentrations of salt and other minerals so that no fish could survive. In 1998, the government of Ardabil started diluting the lake water by linking rivers from the surrounding area. After almost 2 years they also started growing a kind of fish called "ghezel-aala" in the lake which is famous for having pink meat and wonderful taste. In 1999 a floating restaurant

Floating restaurant

A floating restaurant is a kind of vessel which is usually a type of steel barge used as a restaurant on water. For example, the Jumbo Palace at Aberdeen in Hong Kong is one such restaurant. Sometimes retired ships are given a second lease on life as floating restaurants. The former car ferry New...

was built and placed in the middle of the lake. which was transferred to the government but it was later shifted to the shore as they could not handle the maintenance and other technical difficulties.