Sharafkhane port is one of Lake Urmia's ports. The port is in the suburbs of Shabestar in East Azarbaijan province. It is 20 km from Shabestar and 110 km from Tabriz, East Azarbaijan. As the lake started to dry up these ports have lost their function over time. © Azin Haghighi
Sharafkhane port was once one of the most important ports on the lake and used to get many visitors. Now it has shut down and the few remaining ships have gone aground. © Azin Haghighi
People have come to Islami Island coast near Shahid Kalantari Bridge to spend a hot summer day. In order to get to the little remaining water of the lake, they need to walk 2 km on the salty ground which was once part of the lake. Some environmental experts believe that building the highway and Shahid Kalantari Bridge were the main factors that caused the lake to shrink. The highway has stopped the natural circulation of water in Lake Urmia. © Ali Hamed Haghdust
Tourists come near the water on the stiffened salt flats. As the lake shrank, the eastern and southern coasts have totally dried up and become deserted. The lake has turned red due to increased salinity of the water and falling level of the water. Above, the water is just knee deep and the people can hardly swim in it. © Ali Hamed Haghdust
Women get the chance to swim in a shallow pond that is a remnant of the lake. They walked almost 4km from the coast to the pond several times each summer to bath in the natural salt water. © Solmaz Daryani
A young man helps his old father stand up. He and his sons have rubbed lake slime on their body. Some people, especially elderly people, believe the slime can cure joint problems, rheumatism and some skin problems. They used to visit Lake Urmia several times every year. © Ali Hamed Haghdust
These people have covered their body with the salt and lay on the salt flat of the lake. They believe that laying under the hot salt and sunlight cures their joint problems. © Ali Hamed Haghdust
A deserted boat covered with plastic. The boat was going to be installed in the main square in Sharafkhane as a symbol of the port. © Morteza Kanani
The port resort’s guardhouse, where symbolical taxidermies of animals and birds have been kept on the wall. Soon, these birds will only exist as displays. © Hamed Nazari
A bride and groom come with their companions onto the salt flat to take wedding photos and make a video. The photos might become their last memories of the lake. © Jalal Shams Azaran
A large part of the lake has dried up. When the wind blows, it causes salt storms. The wind carries the salt particles kilometers away. These salt winds damage the surrounding farms. Moreover, it causes respiratory illnesses among the local residents. © Jalal Shams Azaran
A shepherd from Jebel village covering his face because of the slat particles. An unfinished oil piping project lays at his feet. © Jalal Shams Azaran
This might be the last crop for the farmers in the village of Ghalghachi. The shrinking of the lake and the extension of the salt flats is a serious threat to local farmers. © Hossein Sadri
The shrinking of the lake has resulted in the existence of vacant lands. A garrison in the region trains some soldiers to protect what's left of the lake. © Jalal Shams Azaran
The city of Urmia is the heart of volleyball in Iran. The children from this region love playing volleyball. The children are waiting for their playmates, standing on the roots of an apricot tree which has been dried up due to salt winds. © Jalal Shams Azaran
The lack of water on one hand and salt winds on the other hand has caused the farms near Lake Urmia to dry up almost completely. This elderly man from Mighatloo is taking an apricot trunk home to use for fuel in the winter. © Jalal Shams Azaran
Since Lake Urmia dried up, the residents of the villages started to migrate to the city and the number people living in the villages dropped dramatically. The mini-bus driver who used to commute people between Urmia and the villages is not economical anymore. Now, people must depend on the public bus network. Sometimes villagers need to walk for hours to get to the bus station on time. © Jalal Shams Azaran
The muddy print of a man lying on the stiffened salt flat of the lake. Despite the fact that the lake has shrank, people still visit, to get what they can from the supposedly curative lake slime. © Ali Hamed Haghdust