A unique oasis in the middle of the Chinese desert. Photo

Amazing place in the West of China.

Around 6 km from the city of Dunhuang in Western China, lies Crescent lake, an incredible oasis in the Gobi desert. In Chinese it is called the Crescent. This lake is Crescent-shaped — the most important attraction of the region, which is one of the greatest Buddhist temples in the world.

1. This lake was named a world heritage site by the UNESCO, but it shallower since the 1970-ies and now is only a third of its original size. (UrinalCakes on Reddit)

2. Only in the last 30 years, the lake dropped to 7.6 meters. (Richard Towell)

3. Recently, however, local authorities began to take action to save this place and restore the depth of the lake to previous levels. (Richard Towell)

4. Today the ancient city of Dunhuang, which was the gateway to the West, threatened by modern requirements. (black_lava)

5. Population growth and dam, built 30 years ago to help local farmers, have strongly influenced the already fragile ecosystem of the desert, which was stable for thousands of years. (Tom Thai)

6. With the arrival of increasing numbers of people to the region, the level of groundwater, the main source of local drinking water began to fall. (newlite)

7. We offer to your attention like detailed images of this amazing place and photo from the air. (Sigismund von Dobschutz)

8. Let’s hope that the lake will not dry up and they will be able to admire future generations. (FeverZ)

© 2017 – 2019, paradox. All rights reserved.