Safan Reservoir and Hayaka Nature Reserve

The Safan Reservoir is an artificial lake west of Al-Malikiyah (Derik), formed behind a surface dam on the Safan River. It is also called Lake Hayaka, after the village beside it. The lake holds about 48-49 million cubic metres of water. Qamishli drinks from it. The lake and the riverbed are a nature reserve. It lies 3 kilometres from the Turkish border, and present access has not been confirmed by an independent source.

Where it is

The village of Hayaka stands 11 kilometres west of Al-Malikiyah and 3 kilometres south of the border, at the north-west end of the lake. The dam wall is at the eastern end.

Where the water comes from

The Safan rises in Turkey and enters Syria at the village of Firdaws. Springs and flood streams feed it along the way, and after 45 kilometres in all it joins the Tigris at Semalka. The dam at Hayaka sits on this course, and its water goes to Qamishli’s drinking supply and to irrigation.

How full the lake gets

The Derik water department puts the dam’s capacity at 48-49 million cubic metres. After the rains of 2020 and 2021 the lake rose past its maximum level and water ran over the spillway. Two smaller dams stand in the same basin: Al-Hakmiyah holds about 6-7 million cubic metres, and Burza between four and four and a half million. In 2021 cracks were reported in the Burza dam wall, and vehicles were banned from driving alongside it.

What is on the shore

Most of the reserve is poplar woodland along the shore; map records put it at more than 200 hectares. No published list of its birds or plants could be found. The lakeside is where people from Derik come out in spring and summer. On 21 August 2026 the Hayaka dam hosted an angling contest with 70 participants. The Derik water authority bans fishing in the river and the reservoirs during the breeding season.

Roads and access

A 2024 report described the roads to the village as poor. In August 2026 the Derik-Semalka road was under construction. Expect dust. Temporary closures are likely too. The region came under a new administration in early 2026, and present access to the shore has not been independently confirmed. No dated report on mines or unexploded ordnance in this area could be found, and the border strip is a place to stay well away from.

Don’t miss

The poplar woodland at the north-west end of the lake, beside Hayaka village. Map records mark the reserve there, and the woodland makes up most of its area.