A plain covered with salt in summer and a Salt Lake in spring are clear signs of a place called Bardaskan. The desert and the salt flats are parts of Khorasan Razavi province. From Mashhad, the province’s capital, to Bardaskan, the road is less than 300km. On this road, you can see the cities of Kashmar and Torbat Heydarieh and the semi-arid lands that give the news of approaching a desert area. There a white plain is waiting for tourists and desert hikers. It is less than 50 kilometers from Bardeskan city to Dasht Namaki. When reaching a village called Rahmaniyeh, the salt landscape of Bardaskan can be seen.
When seeing the salt floor of Bardaskan desert those who are unfamiliar with that area may think that they have encountered a salt desert, like other salt deserts in the center of Iran, but it is not so and actually it is a salt swamp. In other words, if we are unfamiliar with those features and recklessly step on its floor, we are likely to get stuck in the swamp in no time.
That salt land has an area of more than seven thousand hectares. Its formation is linked to very ancient times, which is said to be a remnant of the third and fourth geological periods: several million years. Over that period, Bardaskan salt flats, Bardaskan’s salt flats have slowly evolved into what we see today: a natural ecosystem with desert and dry land characteristics and salt evaporite deposits. These same salt crystals have given Bardaskan a special view; a place for tourists who love deserts and dry lands. In the distant past, salt was known as a valuable commodity, and it was exploited and taken to far and near cities. Therefore, the salt trade was profitable. Even now, nearly 600 hectares of the salt area of the Bardaskan desert is a place to exploit its salt. These values caused the Bardaskan salt pan to be included in list of national and natural sites of Iran, in 1392 (2013).
Salt flats are not a place for plants to grow. This is also the case in Bardaskan; But the edge of the desert is a habitat for salt-loving plants; plants such as salsula or salt grass, which has a long stem and small and narrow leaves and is the main feed for livestock; Or Atriplex evergreen plant, which is also called salmaki and is abundant in Bardaskan. Because the roots of this plant are deep, it is considered effective in maintaining the salty soil of the salt marsh. Gaz is also abundant in the Bardaskan desert. This vegetation around Bardaskan has caused wildlife to live and survive. There the camels, foxes, owls and eagles thrive.
The Bardaskan desert and its salt flat are very valuable from the point of view of tourism. Its hot days and cold nights, and its starry sky are spectacular. The most important feature of Bardaskan is its peaceful atmosphere.
Besides Bardaskan desert, surrounding places also attract tourists, like for instance, the Tagh forests in the southern part of Bardaskan district and next to some villages, which are the middle part of Bardaskan settlement and agricultural lands. The beauty of this part of Bardaskan should be asked from the tourists who have seen it closely and praised it. From a historical point of view, the Bardaskan desert is close to the historical complex of Firouzabad and its minaret. This spectacular minaret, with a height of 18 meters, can be seen from a distance and is a remnant of the 7th century. In the same way, we can mention several historical forts in Bardaskan and water reservoirs in Rokn Abad village.
To see the salt flats and the Bardaskan desert, you should go there in the last days of winter and the beginning of spring, take advantage of the incredible ecosystem and get to know Iran and its beautiful nature better!
