Lake Durankulak

Lake Durankulak
View of Lake Durankulak
Lake Durankulak
Coordinates	43.672°N 28.547°E / 43.672; 28.547 (Lake Durankulak)
Basin countries	Bulgaria
Surface area	4 km2 (1.5 sq mi)
Islands	2 (Big Island, Small Island)
Ramsar Wetland
Official name	Durankulak Lake
Designated	28 November 1984
Reference no.	293

Lake Durankulak (Bulgarian: Дуранкулашко езеро) is a lagoon (liman) in northeastern Bulgaria, separated from the Black Sea by sand dunes and a beach strip. It is situated along the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast near the village of Durankulak in Dobrich Province. It has an area of around 4 km² and features two islands in its western part, the Big Island (0.02 km²) and the Small Island (0.0053 km²). As the habitat of 260 rare and endangered species, the lake is one of the most important and well-preserved coastal wetlands in Bulgaria. Among the important birds in the area are the little bittern, ferruginous duck, mute swan, western marsh harrier, paddyfield warbler. The greater white-fronted goose, red-breasted goose and mallard spend the winter there, and there are large populations of the pygmy cormorant and great white pelican.

The lake is also an archaeologically important area. Pithouses of the oldest known inhabitants of Dobruja, dating to 5100–4700 BC, have been unearthed near the west shore, as well as 3500–3400 BC mound burials and a Sarmatian necropolis from Late Antiquity. The Big Island of Lake Durankulak is particularly important, as it is the site of an Eneolithic settlement of 4600–4200 BC, a cultural monument of national importance. The island also features a 1300–1200 BC fortified settlement, a Hellenistic rock-hewn cave sanctuary of Cybele (3rd century BC) and a Bulgar settlement from the 9th–10th century AD. Because of its age and importance, the archaeological complex has been dubbed the "Bulgarian Troy".

References

• Мичев (Michev), Николай (Nikolay); Михайлов (Mihaylov), Цветко (Tsvetko); Вапцаров (Vaptsarov), Иван (Ivan); Кираджиев (Kiradzhiev), Светлин (Svetlin) (1980). Географски речник на България [Geographic Dictionary of Bulgaria] (in Bulgarian). София (Sofia): Наука и култура (Nauka i kultura).