Through the flowering Ferghana Valley and the gorges of the Farhad Mountains, along the Hungry Steppe and the outskirts of the Kyzylkum desert, the Syr Darya flows - the river, which is the longest in Central Asia.
"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 lands, but also the famous Silk Road, intersecting 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 medieval Chinese chronicles you can find the name of the Syr Darya - "Zhenchzhuhe", which means "Pearl River".
However, there have never been pearls in this river. The ancient name of the Syr Darya most likely reflects the attitude towards it of people who lived in arid areas and above all appreciated water.
Despite the apparent calm and even grandeur, the Syr Darya is treacherous and willful. And during the spill, especially during the melting snow in the mountains, it can flood large areas. Therefore, even in the recent past, local residents sacrificed an animal to it to appease the spirit of the Pearl River.
On the shores 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 ancient city of Sunak-Ata, the ruins of the city of Otrar, which in the Middle Ages was a major center. But Otrar ruined and destroyed one of the sons of Genghis Khan, and the city was no longer reborn.
General information about geography and hydrology
The Syr Darya is born in the eastern part of the Ferghana Valley from the confluence of two rivers - running from the Tien Shan Naryn and Karadarya glaciers. Its path lies through the territories of three states: Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The length of this river is 2, 212 km. The Syr Darya is a river, although wide, but not deep, therefore it is navigable only in the region of Kyzyl-Orda and Kazakhstan.
The irrigation system has a great influence on the condition of the river, since the water from it has long been used to irrigate arid regions. And at present, there are about 700 channels leading the Syr Darya to fields and industrial areas.
In its middle course, the river forms numerous channels, so its floodplain is lowland, sometimes swampy and overgrown with reeds, reeds and tugai forests.
Where the Syr Darya River flows into is now quite difficult to answer, since the Aral Sea, where its path ended earlier, practically does not exist. Due to drying out, it broke up into two shallow reservoirs, and the waters of the river are so actively used for household needs that the volume of runoff at the mouth 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 characterized by a variety of climatic conditions and natural landscapes.
Ferghana Valley
Having absorbed the rivers and streams flowing from the Tien Shan glaciers, the Syr Darya begins its journey along the picturesque Ferghana Valley.
From the 3rd millennium BC, the centers of highly developed states existed on the territory of the valley, here and still are some of the oldest cities in Central Asia - Andijan and Margilan.
The Ferghana Valley has a very favorable and mild climate; for centuries it has been known for its fertility. Currently, cotton, rice, fruits, vegetables, and melons are grown here, and 30% of the population of Uzbekistan lives on Ferghana land.
Ferghana owes its abundance to the Syr Darya. Many small rivers, rushing from the mountains to this waterway, feed the valley with glacier water. In addition, there is a developed irrigation system that began to form in the distant past. The waters of the Syr Darya through artificial canals rush to the fields and melons, orchards and vineyards.
Farhad mountains
The Farhad mountains or rather rocks block the river exit from the Ferghana Valley, as the massif is not very large. The Syr Darya - the river is calm and even lazy - here turns into a stormy stream. Fighting her way in the rocks, she stumbles upon the Mogul-Tau ridge, turns sharply to the north-west and forms Bigovatsky rapids.
At the exit of the Syr Darya from the Farhad gorge in Soviet times, a hydroelectric power station was built. Its reservoir plays an important role in irrigating part of the lands of the Hungry Steppe.
What plain does the Syr Darya River cross?
Having escaped from the Farhad mountains, the Syr Darya continues its journey along the Turan plain, which occupies a significant part of Central Asia. This is a very harsh and arid region with a sharply continental climate. The temperature here ranges from + 40 ° C in the summer to -40 ° C in the winter.
On the territory of the Turan plain there are such large and famous deserts as the Karakum and Kyzyl Kum. And only the Syr Darya softens the arid climate of this area.
True, the deserts themselves remain on the sidelines, 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.
Almost nothing grows on this steppe, dried by winds and salted clay soil, even the plant world of deserts seems more diverse. This moody landscape doesn’t even come to life in the full-flowing river Syr Darya - this photo shows well.
For hundreds of 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 19th century, according to an imperial decree, several thousand people built the Kaufman Canal for 10 years. But the diverted water became only the reason for the swamping of part of the steppe.
The rivers feeding the Syr Darya
The basin area of this river is more than 200, 000 km². The volume of water in its upper reaches mainly depends on numerous streams and streams that feed on glacier meltwater. Large tributaries of the Syr Darya river are in the middle reaches. These are Keles, Chirchik and Angren. The largest and most full of them is Chirchik.
The Syr Darya has many smaller tributaries, such as Kasansay, Chaadaksay, Shakhimardan, Sokh, Bugun, Isfayramsay and others. The last tributary - Arys - the river takes in the lower reaches, on the border with the Kyzylkum desert.
