Ay-Kul
Айкөл (Kyrgyz)
Ay-Kul Show map of Kyrgyzstan Ay-Kul Show map of West and Central Asia
Coordinates	39°38′05.3″N 69°38′06.7″E / 39.634806°N 69.635194°E / 39.634806; 69.635194
Lake type	Barrier lake Mountain lake
Primary inflows	Glaciers
Primary outflows	Ay-Kul Creek
Basin countries	Kyrgyzstan
Max. length	2.2–3.5 kilometres (1.4–2.2 mi)[1][2]
Max. width	0.5 kilometres (0.31 mi)[1]
Surface area	.82–1 square kilometre (0.32–0.39 sq mi)[1][2]
Water volume	0.057 km3 (0.014 cu mi)[2]
Surface elevation	2,838–2,938 metres (9,311–9,639 ft)[1][2]

Ay-Kul (Kyrgyz: Айкөл; Uzbek: Oydinkoʻl; Russian: Ай-Кёл), also called Oydinkul, is a small freshwater landslide dam in the Turkestan Range mountains in Kyrgyzstan, near the border with Tajikistan.^[1][2] The lake was formed after a massive landslide blocked the flow of the Ay-Kul Creek.

Ay-Kul is located approximately 20 kilometres (12 miles) km south of Razzakov. It has a surface elevation of 2,838–2,938 m (9,311–9,639 ft) and covers an area of .82–1.5 km² (0.32–0.58 sq mi).^[1][2] There are no paved roads leading to Ay-Kul, and the lake lake is a popular destination for local hikers.

The Kyrgyz name for the lake is Ayköl (Айкөл),^[2] meaning "moon lake". In Uzbek, it is called Oydinkoʻl, meaning "moonlit lake" or "clear lake".^[3]

Ay-Kul hosts an array of legends and myths among local Uzbeks. A popular legend holds that a shepherd lost his crook (variously described as having unique carvings or fitted with gold coins) in the lake, but months later found it in a spring in Dehmoy, Tajikistan.^[3]

Ay-Kul was formed after several cubic km of rock dislodged from the steeply sloped river valley of Ay-Kul Creek, a tributary of the Ak-Suu River.^[2] The lake freezes in late October and thaws in March.^[1]

Sources differ on the area of Ay-Kul, putting it from .82 km² (0.32 sq mi)^[1] to 1.5 km² (0.58 sq mi).^[2] It has a maximum length of 2.8–3.5 km (1.7–2.2 mi)^[1][2] and a maximum breadth of 0.5 km (0.31 mi).^[1]