Dal Lake

Dal Lake is an urban lake covering approximately 18 square kilometres in the Kashmir Valley at about 1,583 metres, historically central to the Kashmiri way of life. Traditional houseboats moored in rows along the shore offer accommodation, and a network of shikaras — narrow wooden gondolas — serve as taxis, market boats, and flower vendors on the open water. The lake is framed by the Zabarwan Range to the north and east, and the mirror reflection of the mountains and chinar trees on still mornings is the canonical image of Kashmiri landscape.