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1 88 ARMENIA AND THE NEAR EAST
distance to the watershed, they are all short, and the amount
of water in them varies greatly. There are also numerous
springs in and near the lake.
Though the winter is long and cold, ice only forms on
enclosed bays, and that only when there is a severe frost.
The country round the lake is bare, with very little vegetation ;
on the north and north-east coast there are naked rocks and
boulders ; only on the south-east, south, and south-west are
more inviting-looking tracts, sloping down towards its ample
surface. Wc could still see fields and patches ofsnow glittering
on the surrounding mountains.
The lake is full of fish ; its splendid big trout are celebrated
all over Armenia as a special delicacy, often served on festive
occasions. It is also exported, and plans are being considered
for tinning it.
Wc followed the shore of the lake in a southerly direction,
and soon saw the little " holy isle " of Sevan, which is not far
from the coast. There is a church on it, and a time-honoured
monastery, where there is a museum and a library containing
many old manuscripts. It is tenanted by a single monk only.
The Armenians think a great deal of this island, which is
looked upon as a national treasure, and every year a great
church festival is held there in August. The peasants flock
thither in great numbers from far and wide, and stay on the
island for a week in specially erected hostels. Wc had
intended to cross over and see the island and the monastery,
but as there was no boat there just then, and wc had no time
to wait, wc drove on to the outlet of the lake.
Here a great piece of work was in progress : they were
building a dam and sluice to regulate the flow of water in the
river to some extent, hoping thereby to make better use of
the water for irrigation purposes and power. The dam was
not a high one—it would not raise the level of the lake by
more than 10 centimetres—but it would nevertheless increase
the volume of water by 140 million cubic metres, which could
be used for irrigation in the driest months, July and August,
when it was most needed, and would be sufficient to irrigate
a large area of country. But still more important than raising
the level of the lake was the deepening of the river-bed at
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