The Karasu (
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
for 'black water') or Western Euphrates is a long river in eastern
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
, one of the two sources of the
Euphrates
The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers'') ...
. It has a length of about 450 km. To the ancient Greeks the river was known as the (''Telebóas'').
Course
The river rises on the Dumlu Dağ in
Erzurum Province
Erzurum Province ( tr, Erzurum ili) is a province of Turkey in the Eastern Anatolia Region of the country. The capital of the province is the city of Erzurum. It is bordered by the provinces of Kars and Ağrı to the east, Muş and Bingöl to the ...
,
and drains the plains around the city of
Erzurum
Erzurum (; ) is a city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010.
The city uses the double-headed eagle as ...
. It is joined by the
Serçeme River, then flows west through
Erzincan Province
Erzincan Province ( tr, ; ku, Parezgêha Erzînganê) is a province in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. In Turkey, its capital is also called Erzincan. The population was 236,034 in 2018.
Geography
Erzincan is traversed by the northeaste ...
, turning south, then west and receiving the tributary Tuzla Su. Between
Erzincan
Erzincan (; ku, Erzîngan), historically Yerznka ( hy, Երզնկա), is the capital of Erzincan Province in Eastern Turkey. Nearby cities include Erzurum, Sivas, Tunceli, Bingöl, Elazığ, Malatya, Gümüşhane, Bayburt, and Giresun. The city is ...
and
Kemah it is joined by the
Gönye River and passes through a rocky gorge.
[ Near the small town of ]Kemaliye
Kemaliye (formerly Eğin) ( hy, Ակն, Romanized Old Armenian: ''Akn'', meaning "spring") is both a town in and one of the nine districts of Erzincan Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey.
The town is known for its historic architect ...
it receives its last tributary, the Çaltı Çayı, before turning sharply southeast to flow through a deep canyon[ into the ]Keban Dam
The Keban Dam ( tr, Keban Barajı) is a hydroelectric dam on the Euphrates, located in the Elazığ Province of Turkey. The dam is the first and uppermost of several large-scale dams to be built on the Euphrates by Turkey. Although the Keban Dam w ...
Lake on the Euphrates. Before construction of the Keban Dam the Karasu joined the Murat River
The Murat River, also called Eastern Euphrates ( tr, Murat Nehri, , hy, Արածանի, translit=Aratsani), is a major source of the Euphrates River. The Ancient Greeks and Romans used to call the river ''Arsanias'' ( gr, Ἀρσανίας). It ...
10 km above the dam site and 13 km above the town of Keban
Keban is a town of Elazığ Province of Turkey. It is the seat of Keban District.[İlçe Beledi ...]
.
History
It is thought likely that the river Harpasos mentioned by Xenophon in Anabasis 7.18 is the Kara Su, or the headwaters of the river Çoruh
The Chorokh ( ka, ჭოროხი ''Ch'orokhi'', tr, Çoruh, hy, Չորոխ ''Ch’vorokh'', el, Άκαμψις, ''Akampsis'') is a river that rises in the Mescit Mountains in north-eastern Turkey, flows through the cities of Bayburt, İ ...
.
In 1996, 15 Turkish soldiers were killed when their personnel carrier fell into the river during a routine crossing.
References
{{Authority control
Rivers of Turkey
Euphrates
Landforms of Erzurum Province
Landforms of Erzincan Province
Landforms of Elazığ Province