Rivers of Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan is one of the states of Central Asia, and this means that rivers here played one of the important roles in the formation of entire peoples. The main rivers of Uzbekistan are the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, which have been used for many millennia for irrigation of lands, fishing and as the main transport routes..
Amu Darya river
The Amu Darya passes through the territory of several states - Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan - and after that it completes its journey, flowing into the waters of the Aral Sea. The deepest river in all of Central Asia has a length of 1400 kilometers.
The name of the river is composed of two words «Amu» (from the name of the ancient city) and «gift» - river. Initially, Amu Darya was called Vakhsh, as the Zoroastrian goddess of water and fertility.
Once the river was mostly navigable, but today ships are found only near the city of Turkmenabat. The lower reaches of the river are rich in fish. But the main purpose of the modern Amu Darya is irrigation of fields. At the same time, the waters of the river flow are used so actively that almost nothing gets into the drying Aral..
Syrdarya river
The total length of the Syr Darya is 2,200 kilometers, which makes it the longest river in the region. The Syr Darya bed passes through the territory of four countries: Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan. The source of the river is the Fergana Valley, where two rivers merge: Naryn and Karadarya. It is they who give rise to the Syrdarya.
The river bed is meandering, especially in the middle and lower reaches. There are many floodplain meadows, which are actively used in agriculture for growing rice and melons..
Zeravshan river
Zeravshan (the second name is Zaravshan) is much smaller than the Syr Darya and Amu Darya, but in terms of historical significance it is in no way inferior to its «sisters». The source of the river is the Zeravshan Mountains (Tajikistan). About half of the river passes through the territory of Tajikistan, and the second through Uzbekistan.
The literal name Zeravshan translated from Persian sounds like «gold-bearing». The ancient Greeks called her Politimet or «revered», and travelers from China - Nami, which means «revered».
It is on the banks of this river that such great cities as Samarkand and Bukhara have grown. In addition, the ancient city of Sarazm once stood here. Its ruins are included in the UNESCO list.
The total length of the river is 887 kilometers. In the upper reaches, it receives water from numerous tributaries, and in the lower one it has a huge number of branch canals, taking almost 85% of the total water flow for household needs..
