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In photos: Oman’s colorful lakes

Find out what gives these lakes their colors.

By Sekka Editorial

Photos by Omani photographer Majid Al-Amri.

This story is brought to you by Dr. Rocco’s Specialized Dental Center in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Since the beginning, we have dedicated our travel section to discovering and documenting the marvels of the world, especially the marvels of our home region, the Arab Gulf States. Oman has been a destination that we have returned to time and again. The second-largest country in the GCC Region, Oman has a diverse topography, offering a wide range of stunning hidden gems that are worthy of exploration.

Award-winning Omani photographer Majid Al-Amri captures one of these gems in an effort to share the beauty of his country with the world. The subject of his photographs are Oman’s colorful lakes, found near Al Ruwais Beach in Jalan Bani Bu Ali, which is located in the Al Sharqiya Region.

According to research by Omani geologist Dr. Mohammad Al Kindi, who is also the CEO of the Earth Sciences Consultancy Centre in Oman, the saltwater lakes owe their pink and red colors to an extremely high presence of microscopic bacteriam that thrive in high salt concentrations and warm temperatures, and produce a red pigment that results in these shades of pink and red.  Green algal mats and fungi are also found in the pink lakes. Pink cubic crystals of salt often cover the floor of these lakes. These three elements may also contribute to the lakes’ coloring.

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Sekka Editorial.