The Vorotan (), or Bargushad () or Bazarchay ( az, Bazarçay), is a river in

Transcaucasia The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Arme ...

that is the largest right tributary of the Hakari river. The river originates in the mountains of

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

Kalbajar District Kalbajar District ( az, Kəlbəcər rayonu) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the west of the country and belongs to the East Zangezur Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Lachin, Khojaly, Agdam, Tart ...

and flows into

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''O ...

Syunik Province Syunik ( hy, Սյունիք, ) is the southernmost province of Armenia. It is bordered by the Vayots Dzor Province to the north, Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic exclave to the west, Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran to the south. It ...

. It flows through Armenia for in a generally south-easterly direction. The river enters Azerbaijan again, flowing for through the districts of

Qubadli Qubadli ( az, Qubadlı, ) is a city in Azerbaijan and the administrative centre of the Qubadli District. It is situated along the Vorotan (Bargushad) river. History Qubadli was part of the Zangezur uezd of the Elizavetpol Governorate during ...

and

Zangilan Zangilan (, ; hy, Կովսական, Kovsakan) is a city in Azerbaijan and the administrative centre of the Zangilan District. It is situated along the Voghji (Okhchuchay) river. Etymology According to the Armenian historian Hovhannes Ghar ...

. The lower section of the Hakari, from its confluence with the Vorotan until its confluence with the Aras river, is sometimes considered to be part of the Vorotan.

Course of the river

The river flows mostly through mountainous country and in several places has formed deep canyons. The towns of

Sisian Sisian ( hy, Սիսիան) is a town and the centre of the urban community of Sisian, in the Syunik Province in southern Armenia. It is located on the Vorotan River, 6 km south of the Yerevan- Meghri highway, at a road distance of 217 km southe ...

and

lie along its course. Six kilometers from Sisian, the river forms a

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several ...

— the "Shaki Waterfall" ( hy, Շաքիի ջրվեժ) — that is 18m high. The river forms a natural monument — the "Devil's Bridge" — near

Tatev Monastery The Tatev Monastery ( hy, Տաթևի վանք, Tat'evi vank') is a 9th-century Armenian Apostolic monastery located on a large basalt plateau near the village of Tatev in the Syunik Province in southeastern Armenia. The term "Tatev" usually refe ...

. There are mineral pools at the base of the

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a p ...

arch.

Damming the river

During the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

period, three reservoirs forming the

Vorotan Cascade The Vorotan Cascade, or the ContourGlobal™ Hydro Cascade, is a cascade on the Vorotan River in Syunik Province, Armenia. It was built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation water. The Vorotan Cascade consists of three hydroelectr ...

were constructed. They supply Armenia with hydro-electric power and water for irrigation. To increase the volume of water in

Lake Sevan Lake Sevan ( hy, Սևանա լիճ, Sevana lich) is the largest body of water in both Armenia and the Caucasus region. It is one of the largest freshwater high-altitude (alpine) lakes in Eurasia. The lake is situated in Gegharkunik Province, ...

, a tunnel was constructed to abstract some of the Vorotan's waters and divert them to the lake. Begun during the 1980s, work was stopped in 1988, when only had been completed, because of the outbreak of the

First Nagorno-Karabakh War The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, referred to in Armenia as the Artsakh Liberation War ( hy, Արցախյան ազատամարտ, Artsakhyan azatamart) was an ethnic conflict, ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 t ...

. The Armenian government finally completed the Vorotan tunnel in 2003. Prior to this, a second tunnel — "Arpa–Sevan" — was completed in 1981. This diverts some water from the

Arpa River The Arpa ( hy, Արփա, az, Arpaçay) is a river that flows through Armenia and Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan exclave. It originates in the Vayots Dzor province (''marz'') of Armenia and is a left tributary of the Aras. It is long, and has a drai ...

for Lake Sevan. The waters coming through the two tunnels has resulted in the lake's water level rising. In 2007 it was reported that the water level had risen by in the previous six years.

Gallery

Shaki Waterfall.jpg,

Shaki Waterfall Shaki Waterfall ( hy, Շաքիի ջրվեժ) is a waterfall in Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world reg ...

File:Tatev, satani kamurj 02.JPG, The "Devil's Bridge" natural arch near

Devil Bridge vorotan river.jpg, The base of the "Devil's Bridge" 1 km from

Goris Goris ( hy, Գորիս) is a town and the centre of the urban community of Goris, in Syunik Province at the south of Armenia. Located in the valley of the Goris (or Vararak) River, it is 254 km from the Armenian capital Yerevan and 67 ...

File:«Բնական թունել» 3.jpg, Natural arch near Karahunj village on the Goris-Kapan highway above the river Bargushad River in Qubadli District, Azerbaijan 1.jpg, The Vorotan flowing through Qubadli District

References

{{Rivers and lakes in Azerbaijan Rivers of Armenia Rivers of Azerbaijan International rivers of Europe International rivers of Asia Geography of Syunik Province Qubadli District