Rivers of Turkey
For the most part, the rivers of Turkey are completely unsuitable for navigation, since they have numerous rapids along the course. Some of them dry up completely in the summer..
Euphrates river
The river bed passes through the territory of three states - Turkey, Syria and Iraq. The Euphrates is the largest waterway in all of Western Asia. The total length of the river is 2700 kilometers. The source of the river is located in the mountains of the Armenian Highlands, where two rivers merge: Kurasu and Murat. Estuary - waters of the Persian Gulf.
The maximum width of the river channel is 500 meters with a depth of up to 10 meters. During seasonal floods, the water level in the Euphrates can rise 4 meters above normal, which leads to severe flooding of coastal areas.
The upper course of the river has a mountainous character, making its way through a narrow gorge. And only after reaching the Mesopotamian lowland it is transformed into a typical lowland river. The main tributaries of the Euphrates are: Khabur; Belykh; Tokma; Göksu.
Araks river
The Araks passes through the lands of four states - Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran. The total length of the channel is 1,072 kilometers. The river is not navigable. The waters of the Araks are used exclusively for irrigation. Main tributaries: Aker; Sevjur; Hrazdan; Lead; Karasu.
In its upper course, the channel runs along the bottom of a narrow gorge, and here the Araks is a typical fast mountain river. After entering the territory of the Ararat plain, the river banks descend, and the Araks itself is divided into channels.
The source of the river is located at an altitude of 3000 meters above sea level on the slopes of the Bingol ridge. Overcoming its thousand kilometers, the Araks completes the journey, merging with the waters of the Kura.
Murat river
The river flows through the territory of the Armenian Highlands in Turkey and has a total length of 722 kilometers. Murat is one of the main tributaries of the Euphrates.
The source of the river is located in eastern Turkey near Mount Ararat. The channel runs along the valley of the Armenian Highlands. The river is distinguished by significant drops in water level. The maximum rise is recorded in April and May. The rest of the year the river is relatively shallow.
Murat is not navigable all over. Parts of the river can freeze in winter.
Sakarya river
Sakarya completely passes through the territory of Turkey and has a length of 824 kilometers (according to some sources, the length of the river is only 790 kilometers). This is the second longest Turkish river. Sakarya is completely unnavigable. Main tributaries: Porsuk; Ankara.
The source, as well as the upper reaches, is located on the territory of Phrygia - one of the historical regions of the country. The mouth of the river is the waters of the Black Sea (Bithynia region). The main attraction of the river is the Beskopru bridge, 430 meters long.
