The Arieș () is a left

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the river Mureș in

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. It discharges into the Mureș in Gura Arieșului, southwest of Luduș. Its total length (including its headwater Arieșul Mare) is , and its

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

area is . Most probably "Arieș" means "Gold River", the name being derived from the Latin "Aureus". The Hungarian name "Aranyos" means "Golden" and it was first mentioned in 1177.

Course

The source of the river is in the Bihor Mountains, part of the Apuseni Mountains, which translates as The Western Mountains. The Arieș is formed near the village of Mihoești at the confluence of two headwaters: Arieșul Mare and Arieșul Mic. It flows through the Alba and Cluj counties and flows into the Mureș River near the village of Gura Arieșului, which is close to the town of Luduș. The towns of Câmpeni, Baia de Arieș, Turda, and Câmpia Turzii lie on the river Arieș. The upper valley of the river, Țara Moților, is a beautiful rustic region and an important mining region (centered in Roșia Montană), rich in gold, silver and uranium. Those mines of the Metaliferi Mountains (part of the Apuseni Mountains) were exploited since

Dacia Dacia (, ; ) was the land inhabited by the Dacians, its core in Transylvania, stretching to the Danube in the south, the Black Sea in the east, and the Tisza in the west. The Carpathian Mountains were located in the middle of Dacia. It thus ro ...

n times, and later on they attracted the Roman conquest.

Towns and villages

The following towns and villages are situated along the river Arieș, from source to mouth: Mihoești, Gura Sohodol, Câmpeni, Boncești, Lunca Merilor, Bistra, Gârde, Lunca Largă, Pițiga, Lupșa, Hădărău, Valea Lupșii, Muncelu, Baia de Arieș, Sartăș, Brăzești, Sălciua de Jos, Poșaga de Jos, Lunca, Vidolm, Lungești, Buru, Moldovenești, Cornești, Cheia, Mihai Viteazu, Turda, Câmpia Turzii, Viișoara, Luna, Luncani, Hădăreni, Gligorești

Tributaries

The following rivers are tributaries to the river Arieș (from source to mouth): Left: Arieșul Mare, Valea Caselor (Câmpeni), Bistra, Bistrișoara, Valea Mare, Dobra, Valea Caselor (Lupșa), Lupșa, Sartăș, Sălciuța, Poșaga, Ocoliș, Ocolișel, Iara, Borzești, Hășdate, Valea Pordei, Săndulești, Valea Racilor, Aluniș, Valea Sărată, Pârâul Florilor, Valea Largă Right: Arieșul Mic, Sohodol, Abrud, Valea Luteștilor, Ștefanca, Valea Mușcanilor, Valea Șesii, Hermăneasa, Cioara, Valea Largă, Cheia, Rimetea, Văleni, Plăiești, Bădeni, Racoșa, Valea Odăii Beteag

References

;Notes ;Sources * Kniezsa István- Erdély földrajzi neve

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aries Rivers of Romania Rivers of Alba County Rivers of Cluj County