Issyk-Kul (also Ysyk Köl, Issyk-Kol: ; ) is an endorheiclake in the northern Tian Shan mountains in eastern Kyrgyzstan. It is the tenth largest lake in the world by volume (though not in surface area), and the second largest saline lake after the Caspian Sea. Issyk-Kul means "warm lake" in the Kyrgyz language ( in Chinese texts); although it is surrounded by snow-capped peaks, it never freezes.