Anzali Lagoon (also Anzali Mordab, Anzali Bay, Pahlavi Mordab, Pahlavi Bay or Anzali Liman) is a coastal liman, or lagoon, in the Caspian Sea near the Port of Anzali, in the northern Iranian province of Gilan. The lagoon divides Port Anzali into two parts, and is home to both the Selke Wildlife Refuge and the Siahkesheem Marsh.
Although the lagoon suffers from pollution,it is known as a good place for bird watching.
The lagoon's water ranges from fresh near the tributary streams to brackish near the mouth into the harbor and the sea. Studies indicate that in the 19th and early 20th Centuries that the lagoon had a much higher salinity.
The lagoon has decreased in size since the 1930s to less than a quarter of its former extent However, in the last ten years water salinity has increased both by the rise of the level of the Caspian Sea which has caused greater interchange of waters, and due to greater salt transport in incoming "fresh" water due to increased upstream irrigation.
Port in Gilan province, northwestern Iran, on the Caspian Sea, 25 km/16 mi northwest of Rasht; population (2006) 110,600. Bandar-e Anzali stands on both sides of the entrance to the the lagoon, though the port is mainly on the eastern side. It is the main port for trade with Russia, and access needs to be maintained by dredging. The town is linked by road to Tehran. There is a mixed population of Russians, Armenians, Caucasians, and Turkmen.
