The Karun ( fa, کارون, ) is the
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
ian river with the highest water flow, and its only navigable
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
. It is long. It rises in the
Zard Kuh
Zard-Kuh (meaning "Yellow Mountain", also spelled Zardkuh, Zarduh Kuh or Zard Kuh-e Bakhtiari; Persian: زردکوه بختیاری) is a sub-range in the central Zagros Range, Iran.
With an elevation of 4221 metres, the Zard-Kuh is located ...
mountains of the
Bakhtiari district in the
Zagros Range
The Zagros Mountains ( ar, جبال زاغروس, translit=Jibal Zaghrus; fa, کوههای زاگرس, Kuh hā-ye Zāgros; ku, چیاکانی زاگرۆس, translit=Çiyakani Zagros; Turkish: ''Zagros Dağları''; Luri: ''Kuh hā-ye Zāgros ...
, receiving many tributaries, such as the
Dez and the
Kuhrang
Koohrang (also known as Kouhrang and Kurang) is the name of a river, originating in the Zagros mountains of western Iran, which joins the Beheštābād river () to form the Karun, Iran's largest (by volume) river. A series of tunnels (Kuhrang Tun ...
, before passing through the capital of the
Khuzestan Province
Khuzestan Province (also spelled Xuzestan; fa, استان خوزستان ''Ostān-e Xūzestān'') is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the southwest of the country, bordering Iraq and the Persian Gulf. Its capital is Ahvaz and it covers ...
of Iran, the city of
Ahvaz
Ahvaz ( fa, اهواز, Ahvâz ) is a city in the southwest of Iran and the capital of Khuzestan province. Ahvaz's population is about 1,300,000 and its built-up area with the nearby town of Sheybani is home to 1,136,989 inhabitants. It is hom ...
before emptying to its mouth into
Arvand Rud (Shatt al-Arab).
The Karun continues toward the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...
, forking into two primary branches on its
delta
Delta commonly refers to:
* Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet
* River delta, at a river mouth
* D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta")
* Delta Air Lines, US
* Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19
Delta may also re ...
– the
Bahmanshir
The Bahmanshir channel ( fa, بهمنشیر, ) is a secondary estuary of the Karun River that parallels the Shatt al-Arab/Arvand Rud waterway on the far side of the Abadan Island, Iran, for 70 miles before emptying into the Persian Gulf.
The ...
and the
Haffar
During the early Islamic centuries, the Daylamite Buwayhid king, Panah Khusraw Adud ad-Dawlah, ordered the digging of a canal to join the Karun River, which at the time emptied independently into the Persian Gulf through the Bahmanshir channel, to ...
– that join the
Arvand Rud
The Shatt al-Arab ( ar, شط العرب, lit=River of the Arabs; fa, اروندرود, Arvand Rud, lit=Swift River) is a river of some in length that is formed at the confluence of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in the town of al-Qurnah in ...
, emptying into the Persian Gulf. The important Island of
Abadan
Abadan ( fa, آبادان ''Ābādān'', ) is a city and capital of Abadan County, Khuzestan Province, which is located in the southwest of Iran. It lies on Abadan Island ( long, 3–19 km or 2–12 miles wide). The island is bounded ...
is located between these two branches of the Karun. The port city of
Khorramshahr
Khorramshahr ( fa, خرمشهر , also romanized as ''Khurramshahr'', ar, المحمرة, romanized as ''Al-Muhammerah'') is a city and capital of Khorramshahr County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. At the 2016 census, its population was 170,976, in ...
is divided from the Island of Abadan by the Haffar branch.
Juris Zarins
Juris Zarins (Zariņš) (born 1945, in Germany) is an American-Latvian archaeologist and professor at Missouri State University, who specializes in the Middle East.
Biography
Zarins is ethnically Latvian, but was born in Germany at the end of ...
and other scholars have identified the Karun as one of the four rivers of
Eden, the others being the
Tigris
The Tigris () is the easternmost of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and empties into the ...
, 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'') ...
, and either the
Wadi Al-Batin or the
Karkheh
The Karkheh or Karkhen کرخه (perhaps the river known as the Gihon—one of the four rivers of Eden/Paradise to the Bible and as the Choaspes in ancient times; also called Eulæus; Hebrew: אולי Ulai) is a river in Khūzestān Province, I ...
.
Name
In early classical times, the Karun was known as the Pasitigris. The modern medieval and modern name, Karun, is a corruption of the name
Kuhrang
Koohrang (also known as Kouhrang and Kurang) is the name of a river, originating in the Zagros mountains of western Iran, which joins the Beheštābād river () to form the Karun, Iran's largest (by volume) river. A series of tunnels (Kuhrang Tun ...
, which is still maintained by one of the two primary tributaries of the Karun.
J. G. Lorimer also records in his
Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia
The ''Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia'' (nicknamed ''Lorimer'') is a two-volume encyclopedia compiled by John Gordon Lorimer. The ''Gazetteer'' was published in secret by the British government in India in 1908 and 1915 an ...
that it was known by the name "Dujail," which could be translated "Little Tigris," to
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
and Persian
geographers
A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society, including how society and nature interacts. The Greek prefix "geo" means "earth" a ...
.
Course
![Dammed portion of Karun River2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Dammed_portion_of_Karun_River2.jpg)
It originates in the
Zagros Mountains
The Zagros Mountains ( ar, جبال زاغروس, translit=Jibal Zaghrus; fa, کوههای زاگرس, Kuh hā-ye Zāgros; ku, چیاکانی زاگرۆس, translit=Çiyakani Zagros; Turkish: ''Zagros Dağları''; Luri: ''Kuh hā-ye Zāgro ...
of western Iran, on the slopes of
Zard-Kuh
Zard-Kuh (meaning "Yellow Mountain", also spelled Zardkuh, Zarduh Kuh or Zard Kuh-e Bakhtiari; Persian: زردکوه بختیاری) is a sub-range in the central Zagros Range, Iran.
With an elevation of 4221 metres, the Zard-Kuh is located ...
. The river flows south and west through several prominent mountain ridges and receives additional water from the
Vanak
Vanak () is a neighbourhood in the northern part of Tehran, capital of Iran and there is a square and a street named after it. The word Vanak means "Small (ash) Tree" in Persian.
The name derives from the original older village of Vanak (''Deh-e ...
on the south bank and the
Bazoft on the north. These tributaries add to the catchment of the river above the
Karun-4 Dam
The Karun-4 Dam is an arch dam on the Karun, Karun River located at 180 km southwest of Shahr-e-Kord in the province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Iran. The Karun has the highest discharge of all the Iranian ...
. downstream, the Karun widens into the reservoir formed by the
Karun-3 Dam.
The
Khersan flows into an arm of the reservoir from the southeast. The river passes through this reservoir and flows through a narrow canyon, now in a northwest direction, past
Izeh
Izeh ( fa, ايذه, also Romanized as Īz̄eh; also known as Malāmir, Izaj, and Malemir) is a city and capital of Izeh County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 103,695, in 20,127 families.
Izeh also has mines of ...
, eventually winding into the Sussan Plain. The Karun then turns north into the reservoir of
Shahid Abbaspour Dam
The Shahid Abbaspour Dam ( fa, سد شهید عباسپور), formerly known as Great Reza Shah Dam (Persian: ) before 1979 Revolution, is a large arch dam providing hydroelectricity from the Karun River; it is located about northeast of Masjed S ...
(Karun-1), which floods the river's defile to the southwest. The Karun flows southwest into the impoundment of
Masjed Soleyman Dam
The Masjed Soleyman Dam (also known as ''Godar-e Landar Dam'') is a dam in Iran on the Karun river. It is high, has an installed capacity of 2,000 MW, and its reservoir holds of water. The dam is a rock-fill structure with a vertical clay-core. T ...
(Karun-2), then turns northwest. Finally, it leaves the foothills and flows south past
Shushtar
Shushtar ( fa, شوشتر; also Romanized as Shūshtar and Shūstar and Shooshtar) is a city and capital of Shushtar County, Khuzestan Province, Iran.
Shushtar is an ancient fortress city, approximately from Ahvaz, the centre of the province. ...
and its confluence with the
Dez. It then bends southwest, bisecting the city of
Ahvaz
Ahvaz ( fa, اهواز, Ahvâz ) is a city in the southwest of Iran and the capital of Khuzestan province. Ahvaz's population is about 1,300,000 and its built-up area with the nearby town of Sheybani is home to 1,136,989 inhabitants. It is hom ...
, and south through farmland to its mouth on the Arvand Roud at
Khorramshahr
Khorramshahr ( fa, خرمشهر , also romanized as ''Khurramshahr'', ar, المحمرة, romanized as ''Al-Muhammerah'') is a city and capital of Khorramshahr County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. At the 2016 census, its population was 170,976, in ...
, where its water, together with that of the
Tigris
The Tigris () is the easternmost of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and empties into the ...
and
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'') ...
, turns sharply southeast to flow to the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...
.
Basin
![Ahwaaaz (1)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Ahwaaaz_%281%29.JPG)
The largest river by discharge in Iran, the Karun River's
watershed
Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to:
Hydrology
* Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins
* Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...
covers in parts of two Iranian provinces. The river is around long and has an average discharge of . The largest city on the river is
Ahvaz
Ahvaz ( fa, اهواز, Ahvâz ) is a city in the southwest of Iran and the capital of Khuzestan province. Ahvaz's population is about 1,300,000 and its built-up area with the nearby town of Sheybani is home to 1,136,989 inhabitants. It is hom ...
, with over 1.3 million inhabitants. Other important cities include Shushtar, Khorramshahr (a port),
Masjed-Soleyman
Masjed Soleyman ( fa, مسجدسلیمان, also Romanization, Romanized as Masjedsoleimān, Masjed-e Soleymān, Masjed Soleiman, and Masjid-i-Sulaiman) is a city and capital of Masjed Soleyman County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census ...
, and Izeh.
Much of Khuzestan's transport and resources are connected in one way or another to the Karun. Since the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
first discovered oil at
Masjed Soleyman
Masjed Soleyman ( fa, مسجدسلیمان, also Romanized as Masjedsoleimān, Masjed-e Soleymān, Masjed Soleiman, and Masjid-i-Sulaiman) is a city and capital of Masjed Soleyman County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its populati ...
, the Karun has been an important route for the transport of petroleum to the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...
, and remains an important commercial waterway.
Water from the Karun provides
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...
to over of the surrounding plain and a further are planned to receive water.
History
Karun River lies between the
Susa
Susa ( ; Middle elx, 𒀸𒋗𒊺𒂗, translit=Šušen; Middle and Neo- elx, 𒋢𒋢𒌦, translit=Šušun; Neo-Elamite and Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼𒀭, translit=Šušán; Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼, translit=Šušá; fa, شوش ...
plain, the location of the ancient cultures dating back to the fifth millennium BC and, to the south, the newly discovered ancient culture of the
Zohreh River
Zohre River (Persian: رودخانه زهره; ''zohre'' translates as 'Venus' ) is a river in southwestern Iran. It is formed at the confluence of the rivers Rudkhaneye-Fekhlian, and Rude-Tenge-Shu, which flow from the southern slopes of the Zag ...
plain from the same period. The principal ancient site being excavated near the Zohreh River is
Tol-e Chega Sofla, which has many parallels with Susa. Sites along the Karun also participated in these historical developments.
Later, the Karun valley was also inhabited by the
Elam
Elam (; Linear Elamite: ''hatamti''; Cuneiform Elamite: ; Sumerian: ; Akkadian: ; he, עֵילָם ''ʿēlām''; peo, 𐎢𐎺𐎩 ''hūja'') was an ancient civilization centered in the far west and southwest of modern-day Iran, stretc ...
ite civilization which rose about 2,700 BC. At several points in history,
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...
n civilizations such as
Ur and
Babylon
''Bābili(m)''
* sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠
* arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel''
* syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel''
* grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn''
* he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel''
* peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru''
* elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...
overthrew the Elamites and gained control of the Karun and its surroundings in modern Khuzestan. However, the Elamite empire lasted until about 640 BC, when the
Assyria
Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , romanized: ''māt Aššur''; syc, ܐܬܘܪ, ʾāthor) was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization which existed as a city-state at times controlling regional territories in the indigenous lands of the A ...
ns overran it. The city of
Susa
Susa ( ; Middle elx, 𒀸𒋗𒊺𒂗, translit=Šušen; Middle and Neo- elx, 𒋢𒋢𒌦, translit=Šušun; Neo-Elamite and Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼𒀭, translit=Šušán; Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼, translit=Šušá; fa, شوش ...
, near the modern city of
Shush between the Dez and
Karkheh
The Karkheh or Karkhen کرخه (perhaps the river known as the Gihon—one of the four rivers of Eden/Paradise to the Bible and as the Choaspes in ancient times; also called Eulæus; Hebrew: אולי Ulai) is a river in Khūzestān Province, I ...
rivers, was one of their largest before it was destroyed by the invaders.
The first known major bridge across the river was built by the
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
captives that included its emperor
Valerianus in the Sassanid era, whence the name of the bridge and dam
Band-e Kaisar
The Band-e Kaisar (), Pol-e Kaisar ("Caesar's bridge"), Bridge of Valerian or Shadirwan was an ancient arch bridge in Shushtar, Iran, and the first in the country to combine it with a dam. Built by the Sassanids, using Roman prisoners of war as ...
, "
Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caes ...
's dam", at Shushtar (3rd century AD).
In two of several competing theories about the origins and location of the
Garden of Eden
In Abrahamic religions, the Garden of Eden ( he, גַּן־עֵדֶן, ) or Garden of God (, and גַן־אֱלֹהִים ''gan-Elohim''), also called the Terrestrial Paradise, is the Bible, biblical paradise described in Book of Genesis, Genes ...
, the Karun is presumed to be the
Gihon River that is described in the
Biblical book of ''Genesis''. The strongest of these theories, propounded by archaeologist
Juris Zarins
Juris Zarins (Zariņš) (born 1945, in Germany) is an American-Latvian archaeologist and professor at Missouri State University, who specializes in the Middle East.
Biography
Zarins is ethnically Latvian, but was born in Germany at the end of ...
, places the Garden of Eden at the northern tip of the Persian Gulf, fed by the four rivers Tigris, the Euphrates, Gihon (Karun) and
Pishon
The Pishon ( ''Pîšōn'') is one of four rivers (along with Hiddekel (Tigris), Perath (Euphrates) and Gihon) mentioned in the Biblical Book of Genesis. In that passage, a source river flows out of Eden to water the Garden of Eden and from ther ...
(
Wadi Al-Batin).
In 1888, during a period of increasing British influence in
southern Iran
Southern Iran consists of the southern mountain ranges of Zagros and Central Iranian Range, Khuzestan Plain and the northern coasts of Persian Gulf and Straight of Hormuz.
It includes the provinces of Fars Province, Fars, Kohgiluyeh and Buyer Ah ...
, Lynch Brothers opened the first regular steamship service on the river linking
Khorramshahr
Khorramshahr ( fa, خرمشهر , also romanized as ''Khurramshahr'', ar, المحمرة, romanized as ''Al-Muhammerah'') is a city and capital of Khorramshahr County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. At the 2016 census, its population was 170,976, in ...
and
Ahvaz
Ahvaz ( fa, اهواز, Ahvâz ) is a city in the southwest of Iran and the capital of Khuzestan province. Ahvaz's population is about 1,300,000 and its built-up area with the nearby town of Sheybani is home to 1,136,989 inhabitants. It is hom ...
.
The name of the river is derived from the mountain peak, Kuhrang, which serves as its source.
The famous silent film documentary, ''
Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life'' (1925), tells the story of the Bakhtiari tribe crossing this river with 50,000 people and 500,000 animals.
It was here during the
Iran–Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations Security Council ...
that the
Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces
The Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, are the combined military forces of Iran, comprising the Islamic Republic of Iran Army (''Arteš''), the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (''Sepâh'') and the Law Enforcement Force (Police).
Iran ...
stopped the early
Iraqi Armed Forces
The Iraqi Armed Forces ( ar, القوات المسلحة العراقية romanized: ''Al-Quwwat Al-Musallahah Al-Iraqiyyah'') (Kurdish languages, Kurdish: هێزە چەکدارەکانی عێراق) are the military forces of the Iraq, Republic ...
advance. With its limited military stocks, Iran unveiled its "
human wave
The human wave attack, also known as the human sea attack, is an offensive infantry tactic in which an attacker conducts an unprotected frontal assault with densely concentrated infantry formations against the enemy line, intended to overrun and ...
" assaults which used thousands of
Basij
The Basij ( fa, بسيج, lit. "The Mobilization"), Niru-ye Moghāvemat-e Basij ( fa, نیروی مقاومت بسیج, "Resistance Mobilization Force"), full name Sâzmân-e Basij-e Mostaz'afin ( fa, سازمان بسیج مستضعفین, "The ...
(Popular Mobilization Army or People's Army) volunteers.
In September 2009, three districts of
Basra
Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is hand ...
province in southern Iraq were declared disaster areas as a result of Iran's construction of new dams on the Karun. The new dams resulted in high levels of salinity in the Arvand Roud, which destroyed farm areas and threatened livestock. Civilians in the area were forced to evacuate.
Dams
There are a number of dams on the Karun River, mainly built to generate
hydroelectric power
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
and provide
flood control
Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...
.
Gotvand Dam
Gotvand ( fa, گتوند) is a city and capital of Gotvand County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 21,428, in 4,422 families. Gotvand holds share-record for highest temperature recorded in Iran with on July 17, 2 ...
,
Masjed Soleyman Dam
The Masjed Soleyman Dam (also known as ''Godar-e Landar Dam'') is a dam in Iran on the Karun river. It is high, has an installed capacity of 2,000 MW, and its reservoir holds of water. The dam is a rock-fill structure with a vertical clay-core. T ...
, Karun-1 (
Shahid Abbaspour Dam
The Shahid Abbaspour Dam ( fa, سد شهید عباسپور), formerly known as Great Reza Shah Dam (Persian: ) before 1979 Revolution, is a large arch dam providing hydroelectricity from the Karun River; it is located about northeast of Masjed S ...
),
Karun-3, and
Karun-4
The Karun-4 Dam is an arch dam on the Karun River located at 180 km southwest of Shahr-e-Kord in the province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Iran. The Karun has the highest discharge of all the Iranian rivers. Its construction is aimed at elec ...
, most of them owned by the Iran Water and Power Resources Development Co., are all on the main stem. Karun-2 would potentially be located in the Sussan Plain between Shahid Abbaspour and Karun-3, but the project is still under consideration because of fear of submerging archaeological sites.
A Karun-5 dam upstream of Karun-4 has also been proposed.
The Masjed Soleyman, Shahid Abbaspour, and Karun-3 dams each generate 1,000–2,000 MW of power to service the
peaking power
Peaking power plants, also known as peaker plants, and occasionally just "peakers", are power plants that generally run only when there is a high demand, known as peak demand, for electricity. Because they supply power only occasionally, the powe ...
sector of Iran's electricity grid, and when completed, Karun-4 will also generate 1,000 MW.
There are also many dams on the river's tributaries.
Dez Dam )
, image =
, image_size =
, image_caption =
, image_alt =
, location_map = Iran
, location_map_size =
, location_map_caption =
, coordinates =
, country = I ...
,
Bakhtiari Dam
The Bakhtiari Dam is an arch dam currently under construction on the Bakhtiari River within the Zagros Mountains on the border of Lorestan and Khuzestan Provinces, Iran. At a planned height of , it will be the world's tallest dam once completed a ...
(under construction) and
Khersan-3 Dam (under construction) are among them. Khersan 1, Khersan 2, Zalaki, Liro, Roudbar Lorestan, Bazoft, and others are proposed.
The dams on the Karun have had a significant effect on the
sediment
Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity acting on the particles. For example, sand an ...
transport and the ecology of the river, and have required the relocation of thousands of residents.
Notes
References
* ''Karun-3, Dam and Hydroelectric Power Plant''
History
* N. Jafarzadeh, S. Rostami, K. Sepehrfar, and A. Lahijanzadeh, ''Identification of the Water Pollutant Industries in Khuzastan Province'', Iranian Journal of Environmental Health Science & Engineering, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 36–42 (2004)
External links
* More photos of Karun river
Tishineh* ''Karun river marshes'', Factsheet
* H. Borjian, "Karun River", ''Encyclopaedia Iranica'', at http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/karun_1_2
* D. T. Potts, "SHATT al-ARAB", ''Encyclopaedia Iranica'', at http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/shatt-al-arab
{{Rivers of Iran
Rivers of Khuzestan Province
Rivers of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province
Landforms of Khuzestan Province
Landforms of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province
Shatt al-Arab basin
Rivers in Mandaeism