Dasht-e Lut, or the Lut Desert, a salt desert in southeast Iran, is often called the hottest place on Earth. The highest land surface temperature ever recorded there was 70.7ºC (about 159°F). The light area in the center is the long, parallel wind-carved ridges and furrows. The darker area to the east is a region of massive sand dunes, some reaching as high as 300 meters (975 feet). In the upper right is a light green shallow body of water that straddles Iran’s border with Afghanistan. Irrigation expansion, combined with droughts, has caused the water levels in these wetlands to drop significantly and, in some years, even to dry up. April 2, 2012.