What is "takir"

n. A type of relief, a dry fissured crust primarily formed by filamentous cyanobacteria, occurring in the deserts of Central Asia, and similar to a salt flat.

Takir (Takyr) (, originally from Kazakh or another Turkic language) is a type of relief occurring in the deserts of Central Asia, similar to a salt flat in the southwestern United States.

A takyr is usually formed in a shallow depressed area with a heavy clay soil, which is submerged by water after seasonal rains. After the water evaporates, a dried crust with fissures forms on the surface. The crust is primarily formed by filamentous cyanobacteria.