Ala Köl, also Ala-Kul,
Ala Köl, also Ala-Kul, ( is a rock-dammed lake

Lake

A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

 in the Terskey Alatau mountain range in the Ak-Suu District

Ak-Suu District

Ak-Suu is a raion of Issyk Kul Province in eastern Kyrgyzstan. The capital lies at Teploklyuchenka. -Geography:Located in Kyrgyzstan's eastern corner, the district borders in the north with the Almaty Province of Kazakhstan, and in the east, with the Aksu Prefecture of China's Xinjiang Uyghur...

 of the Issyk Kul Province

Issyk Kul Province

Issyk Kul Province is a province of Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is Karakol. It is surrounded by Almaty Province, Kazakhstan , Chui Province , Naryn Province and Xinjiang, China ....

 of Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...

. It lies at an altitude of approximately 3860 meters.

History

A Russian traveller named Putimtsoff was the first to visit the lake in 1811. He gave a good description of it, mentioning about rocks of different colours in the lake, and the furious winds blowing around the lake. Thirty years later Alexander Schrenk explored the lake and its surroundings.

Literally, the name Ala-kul would mean 'variegated lake,' although it probably takes its name from the Ala-Таu mountains lying further north.