Gavkhouni

Gavkhouni is a terminal salt lake and marshland in central Iran, lying east of the city of Isfahan at the eastern end of the Zayandeh River basin. Because it sits in a closed basin with no outlet to the sea, water reaching it can only leave by evaporation, leaving behind salt flats.

It is fed entirely by the Zayandeh River, which rises in the Zagros Mountains and flows through Isfahan before terminating at Gavkhouni. Heavy upstream diversions for Isfahan's agriculture and industry, along with recurring droughts, mean the river often runs dry before reaching the lake.

Dams and irrigation diversions on the Zayandeh River, combined with severe seasonal and multi-year droughts, have cut off most of the lake's water supply. By the 2010s the lake and its marshes were dry for much of the year, with water reaching them only in rare high-flow years.

Yes, it has been recognized as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, with Iran designating it in the 1970s. It has traditionally served as habitat for migratory waterbirds, though its ecological value has declined sharply as the wetland dries out.