The Zarrineh River
( fa, زرینهرود , lit=''golden river'' ) is a river in
Kurdistan Province and
West Azarbaijan Province,
Iran.
It is 302 km long, arising in the
Zagros Mountains of Kurdistan Province south of
Saqqez, where it is also known as the Jaghatu River (Jaghatu Chay).
["Mahabad, Iran; Iraq"](_blank)
Scale 1:250,000, Series 1501 Air Sheet NJ 38-15 edition 3 February 1991, United States Defence Mapping Agency["Zarineh Rood River in Baneh"](_blank)
Iran Tourism & Touring Organization
Its real name is Jegatoo, a well known name among local residents over centuries.
Names
The name ''Zarrīneh Rūd'', meaning "golden river", is historically attested by
Rashid al-Din Hamadani
Rashīd al-Dīn Ṭabīb ( fa, رشیدالدین طبیب; 1247–1318; also known as Rashīd al-Dīn Faḍlullāh Hamadānī, fa, links=no, رشیدالدین فضلالله همدانی) was a statesman, historian and physician in Ilk ...
in his entry for the year 1263 (661 AH).
According to
Vladimir Minorsky, the name Jaghātū is most likely derived from the
Mongolian word ''jaqa'', meaning "border" or "bank", with the possessive suffix ''-tu''.
Minorsky wrote that such a name was fitting, since "the Jaghatu in its sweep encloses a definite geographical region".
Since about the mid-20th century, the old name of Zarrineh Rud has come back into use, and the nearby Tatavu has been similarly renamed Simineh Rud, or "silver river".
Minorsky reconstructed an even earlier name of the river as ''*Vālā-rūd'', from the "Balaráthō" (Βαλαράθω) given by
Theophylact Simocatta, and also in the ''Life of
Mar Yahballaha'' which refers to a river "called in Mongolian Jaghatuy and in Persian Vakya-rud".
Course
The Zarrineh River rises near the
Shiler Valley, an important communication route between Mesopotamia and the Iranian plateau which forms a deep
salient of Iraqi territory into Iran.
It then flows north towards
Lake Urmia.
On the way, its course makes a long sweep to the east.
It receives the
Saruq River as a tributary before bending back to the west and eventually emptying into the lake.
Near the lake, the Zarrineh comes very close to meeting the
Simineh River
The Simineh River ( fa, سیمّینه رود ), also known as the Tatavi Chay (Tatāhū Čāy), is a river in northern Iran, arising in the Zagros Mountains of Kurdistan Province north of Saqqez, that flows into the south end of Lake Urmia. It is ...
, and the two might have merged to form one river at some point in the past.
The Zarrineh river is dammed at
Shahid Kazemi Dam
Shahid Kazemi Dam (originally named Kourosh Dam and also known as the Shahid Kazemi Bukan Dam and Bukan Dam) is a clay core dam on the Zarrineh River in the Zagros Mountains range, located near Bukan in West Azarbaijan Province, Iran.
The crow ...
or Sadd-e Kurosh-e Kabir (Dam of Cyrus the Great)
[, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency] at the border with West Azarbaijan, producing a large reservoir. There is a power plant there.
The river continues north and slightly west past the cities of
Shahin Dezh
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, settlement_type = City
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, imagesize =
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,
Kashavar and
Miandoab
Miandoab ( fa, مياندوآب) is a city and capital of Miandoab County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2012 census, its population was 135,880, in 38,704 families.
Demographics
Miandoab is largely populated by Azerbaijanis. Geography ...
and into
Lake Urmia. Although it is perennial, unlike many of the streams in the Urmia Basin, its flow is still markedly seasonal with a discharge into Lake Urmia ranging from per second to only per second at the end of the dry season.
Tributaries
The tributaries of the Zarrineh River include:
*The
Saqqez Cham River with its source in the
Kileh Shin
Kileh Shin ( fa, كيله شين, also Romanized as Kīleh Shīn) is a village in Mir Deh Rural District, in the Central District of Saqqez County, Kurdistan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 517, in 100 families. The villag ...
's mountain west of
Saqqez,
*The
Khor Khoreh River
Khor is an ancient region located in the south of ancient Syria, probably around modern Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western A ...
which runs through
Saqqez,
*The Zarrineh River which has the same name with the main river and comes from
ChlChama mountains located between
Saqqez,
Divandarreh
Divandarreh ( fa, ديواندره, Kurdish: Dîwandere – دیواندهره, also Romanized as Dīvāndarreh, Dīvān Darreh, Dīvan Darra, and Dīwān Darreh) is a city and capital of Divandarreh County, Kurdistan Province, Iran. At ...
and
Marivan.
*The
Sarooq with its source in the
Takab
Takab or Tekab ( fa, تكاب, az, تیکانتپه, ) is a city and capital of Takab County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 43,702, in 10,078 families.
The famous historical complex Takht-e Soleyman ...
region, and
*The Morli (Leila) with its source in the
Sahand region.
References
Rivers of Kurdistan Province
Landforms of Kurdistan Province
Landforms of West Azerbaijan Province
Iranian Kurdistan
Saqqez County
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