Nafas, an Iranian eco-conscious cycling group, pedaled from Gorgan Gulf - the largest Gulf in the Caspian Sea in northern Iran - to Lake Urmia, northwest of the country, with the aim of raising awareness about protection of seas, lakes and freshwater.

Cyclists Hadi Bayazi and Ahmad Soltani began their tour on August 31 and ended on September 9, Bayazi told the Tehran Times.

Gorgan Gulf covers an area of about 400 square kilometers. In recent years, it has been facing severe drought due to the drying up of the Caspian Sea.

Its maximum depth is 4 meters and this depth increases from west to east till the southern side of Ashoura Deh peninsula. 

In the western part its salinity is more than salinity of the Caspian Sea because of its reducing depth and increase of evaporation.

Generally the water entrance capacity is less than its exit and its water shortage is supplemented by the Caspian Sea.

Lake Urmia, which has been shrinking substantially since 2000s, was once the sixth largest saltwater lake on Earth.

The decline is generally blamed on a combination of drought, increased water diversion for irrigated agriculture within the lake’s watershed. 

The lake used to a natural habitat for migratory birds, and a tourist attraction as it is believed to have some therapeutic properties and healing effects.