“… When the Darvish raised his face from the ground, there was no trace of the city and its people; everywhere was covered by water….” The Darvish prayer was the beginning of the existence of a dreamy tourist destination named Zarivar Lake.
I wonder if you are thinking of spending your vacation in a dreamy destination. If you are like me – always looking for new eye-catching tourist attractions – so come with me, I want you to make fantastic experiences.
Our new destination is pretty Marivan and its beautiful lake. You can have a large number of the different recreational activities and unique experiences and even much more in Zarivar Lake. So, let’s get more familiar with this lovely destination and what it offers.

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Let’s Hire a Boat

Would like to row a boat, steer a boat, or pedal a boat? It all depends on you; select your favorite kind of boat and have fun. This way, you can enjoy the pleasurable atmosphere of Zarivar Lake. Don’t remember, keep an eye on the canebrakes, you may find a lovely animal gazing at you – it is the habitat of a number of adorable animals.

Are You an Experienced Paraglider?

Paragliding is one of the most recreational and exciting sports. Zarivar Lake is a good choice if you are an adventurous person. Here, you can fly over the area and enjoy the dreamy views from the top. Of course, if you are not experienced, don’t worry! You can fly with accompanying of one of the paragliders working there; just don’t panic and enjoy flying over the area.

Relax and Wait Patiently for another Fish

Take your hook and walk among the canebrakes until you reach the fishing spot. Fishing is one of the leisure activities here. Of course, it should be mentioned that it is not possible to go fishing in all seasons.
However, holding the First International Fishing Festival in Marivan was due to the appropriate atmosphere of Zarivar Lake.

Don’t Forget Bird-watching

This dreamy lake can make almost everyone happy, because there are various activities that can satisfy different people. Zarivar Lake is the habitat of a large number of native and migratory birds. That’s why it is a well-known area for bird-watching among the western provinces of Iran.
The birds which you can watch here are: common pochard, mallard, great and little bitterns, coots, sternidae, large white-headed gulls, grey heron, eurasian teal, migratory storks, and different species of hunting birds.

Moving Islands

Have you ever heard of moving islands? It is a thought-provoking phenomenon, isn’t it? Now, you are fortunate enough to watch little dreamy islands that are freely travelling around. Some lovely little islands have naturally been made of the cane and other plants’ roots and they easily travel around and make fantastic views.

Various Local and Cultural Festivals

Zarivar Lake is a suitable place for holding different local festivals. So, if you are a fan of Kurdish culture, it will be a pleasing experience to chance upon a cultural festival. You can enjoy watching Kurdish traditional dance and colorful clothing of men and women. You may also decide to try on Kurdish traditional clothing, so let’s walk to the city; it is only three kilometers away.

Never Forget your Camera

You will surely come across dreamy views here, so you should record them; don’t forget your camera, therefore. But for those who are interested in photography, I should say that Zarivar is a really fantastic destination where you shouldn’t miss.
Zarivar Lake is located among mountains which are covered by oak forests, it is surrounded by canebrakes, and it is the habitat of different animals …. So you can take some really beautiful photos, don’t miss it.

Have Dreamy Nights

There are different hotels in Marivan and you can select among them. However, for my specific purpose, I should inform you that tourism hotel of Marivan is located just on the top of the hill with great views of Zarivar Lake.
So you can come out in the evening and enjoy watching the reflection of shining stars in the water. The calmness and peaceful atmosphere as well as the nice weather can make a different relaxing time for you.
Don’t forget that “Darvish’s” tomb is not far away from the hotel location, so you may be interested in listening to him and his story.
It should be indicated that telling tales and parables during the night is one of the Kurdish traditions. However, let’s see, according to local myths, how Zarivar Lake emerged.

Once upon a time there was a powerful king governing a wealthy city. The people of the city were famous for being rich and pleasure-loving. But, the king of the city was so tyrant and brutal and either were the people.
One day a poor nomad man, named Darvish, came to the city. He was poor, but God loved him and had helped him in different situations. He asked the people of the city to help him, but everybody closed his door and didn’t care.
He eventually came across the King’s Palace and asked him for help, but the people had learnt to be cruel from their king. And, as was expected, the King’s soldiers ridiculed the Darvish and he finally left the city empty-handed.

When he reached the hilltop hopeless and exhausted, he began praying. He prostrated his God and asked him to devastate the city and the brutal king and his people. So, God answered to his request and it began pouring – a very heavy rain. The Darvish didn’t raise his face from the ground until the rain stopped. Yes, there was no trace of the city and its people anymore, everywhere was covered by water.
Local people believe that the remains of the city can still be found under the water.

Where is Zarivar?

Zarivar Lake – or Zrebar Lake, as local people say – is located in Marivan, a western city of Kurdistan province. The lake is only 3 kilometers away from the city and you can walk there and enjoy the fresh air and nice weather.
This is one of the biggest freshwater lakes in Iran. The lake is created by a myriad of natural fountains. Zarivar Lake is an appropriate destination for different kind of activities – that I mentioned some of them.
Of course there are some other fantastic points about Marivan and Zarivar Lake – such as local meals and snacks, fish Kebab, The International Street Theater Festival, shopping in Marivan and so on – but I don’t want you to get tired, so we will talk about them in other situations.