Where is the Syr Darya River? The Syr Darya River: photo and description

Through the flowering Fergana Valley and the gorges of Farhad Mountains, along the Golodnaya Steppe and the outskirts of the Kyzyl Kum Desert, the Syrdarya River flows, which is the longest in Central Asia.

"The Pearl River"

Since time immemorial, people have settled on the banks of the Syr Darya, using its water to irrigate fields. Here were not only the most fertile land, but also passed the famous Silk Road, intersected with caravan roads from Samarkand, Khiva and Bukhara.

In ancient Greek sources this river is called "Yaksart", which means "pearl river". It was also called the Turkic tribes, and the peoples of Iran. Even in the medieval Chinese chronicles, one can find the name of the Syr Darya - "Zhenzhuhe", which means "Pearl River".

However, there has never been a pearl in this river. The ancient name of the Syr Darya, most likely, reflects the attitude of people living in the arid terrain and above all appreciating the water to it.

Despite seeming calm and even majesty, the Syr Darya is insidious and willful. And during the spill, especially during the melting of snow in the mountains, it can flood considerable areas. Therefore, even in the recent past, local residents, to cajole the spirit of the "Pearl River", sacrificed to her an animal.

On the banks of the Syr Darya are many historical monuments and attractions. For example, Khujant, whose age is more than 2,5 thousand years, Sygnak, now known as the fortress of Sunak-Ata, the ruins of the city of Otrar, which in the Middle Ages was a major center. But Otrar ravaged and destroyed one of the sons of Genghis Khan, and the city was no longer reborn.

General information on geography and hydrology

Syr Darya is born in the eastern part of the Fergana Valley from the confluence of two rivers - Naryn and Karadarya, which runs from the glaciers of the Tien Shan. Its path lies through the territories of three states: Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

The length of this river is 2,122 km. Syr Darya is a broad river, but shallow, so it is navigable only in the Kyzyl-Orda and Kazakhstan.

The state of the river is greatly influenced by the irrigation system, since water from it has long been used to irrigate arid regions. And at the present time there are about 700 channels that bring the water of the Syr Darya to the fields and industrial areas.

In its middle course, the river forms numerous channels, so its flood plain is low, sometimes swampy and overgrown with reeds, reeds and tugai forests.

Where the Syr Darya River flows, now it is rather difficult to answer, since the Aral Sea, where its way ended earlier, practically does not exist. Due to drying, it broke up into two shallow water bodies, and the waters of the river are so actively used for household needs that the amount of runoff in the estuary is very small. But officially it is believed that the river flows into the Small Aral Sea.

The area where the Syr Darya River is located is distinguished by a variety of climatic conditions and natural landscapes.

Fergana Valley

Having absorbed the rivers and streams flowing from the glaciers of the Tien Shan, the Syr Darya begins its journey along the picturesque Fergana Valley.

Since III millennium BC in the territory of the valley there were centers of highly developed states, here and still are one of the oldest cities of Central Asia - Andijan and Margilan.

In the Ferghana Valley is a very favorable and mild climate, from time immemorial it is known for its fertility. At present, cotton, rice, fruits, vegetables, melons and gourds are grown here, and 30% of the population of Uzbekistan lives on Fergana land.

Its abundance of Fergana is due to the Syr Darya. A lot of small streams, rushing from the mountains to this waterway, feed the valley with water from glaciers. In addition, there is a developed irrigation system, which began to form in the distant past. Waters of the Syr Darya through artificial canals rush to fields and melons, orchards and vineyards.

Farhad mountains

The exit from the Ferghana valley is blocked by the river Farkhadskie mountains or, rather, rocks, since the massif is not very large. Syr Darya - a calm and even lazy river - here it turns into a violent stream. Punching her way in the rocks, she stumbles on the ridge Mogul-Tau, sharply turns to the north-west and forms the Bigovat thresholds.

At the outlet of the Syr Darya from the Farhad gorge in Soviet times, a hydroelectric power station was built. Its reservoir plays an important role in the irrigation of part of the land of the Hungry Steppe.

Which plain is crossed by the Syr Darya River

Having escaped from the Farhad mountains, the Syr Darya continues its way along the Turan plain, which occupies a significant part of Central Asia. This is a very severe and arid region with a sharply continental climate. The temperature ranges from +40 ° C in summer to -40 ° C in winter.

On the territory of the Turan Plain there are such large and famous deserts as Karakum and Kyzylkum. And only the Syr Darya softens the arid climate of this area.

True, the deserts themselves are left aside, the river flows only along the outskirts of Kyzylkum. But it crosses an even darker place, also located on the territory of the Turan Plain - the Hungry Steppe.

On the wind-dried and salted clay soil of this steppe, almost nothing grows, even the plant world of deserts seems more diverse. This dull landscape is not revived even by the full-flowing Syr Darya River - the photo shows it well.

For more than a hundred years, people have tried to water the Hungry Steppe with the water of the Syr Darya, but these attempts ended in failure. At the end of the XIX century, under the imperial decree, several thousand people built the Kauffmann Canal for 10 years. But the water withdrawn only became the reason for the swamping of part of the steppe.

Rivers feeding the Syr Darya

The area of the basin of this river is more than 200,000 km². The volume of water in its upper reaches depends mainly on the numerous streams and streams feeding on the meltwater of the glaciers. Large tributaries of the Syr Darya River are in the middle course. These are Keles, Chirchik and Angren. The largest and deepest of them is Chirchik.

The Syr Darya has many smaller tributaries, such as Kasansay, Chaadaksai, Shakhimardan, Sokh, Bugun, Isfayramsy and others. The last inflow - Arys - river takes in the lower reaches, on the border with the Kyzylkum desert.

Ecological problems

Syr Darya is a river that gives life. It literally supports the existence and well-being of a vast region. And people shamelessly use its generosity, not taking into account that the Syr Darya is replenished almost exclusively due to the rains and the melting of glaciers.

Because of the active consumption of water resources both the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya over the past couple of decades significantly reduced their runoff. So, the amount of water that the Syr Darya takes to the Aral Sea has been reduced by a factor of 10. This is the main reason for the drying of the inland sea.

Yes, and the river itself is fairly shallow, in the middle reaches of a network of sleeves, a duct and marshes.