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 The Arieșul Mare () is a river in the Apuseni Mountains, Alba County, western Romania. It is the left headwater of the river Arieș. It flows through the villages Arieșeni, Gârda de Sus, Scărișoara, Albac and Vadu Moților, and joins the ...

) 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 The Apuseni Mountains (, "Western Mountains"; , "Transylvanian Mountains") are a mountain range in Transylvania, Romania, which belongs to the Western Romanian Carpathians. The highest peak is the Bihor Peak at . The Apuseni Mountains have ab ...

, which translates as The Western Mountains. The Arieș is formed near the village of Mihoești at the confluence of two

headwater The headwater of a river or stream is the geographical point of its beginning, specifically where surface runoff water begins to accumulate into a flowing channel of water. A river or stream into which one or many tributary rivers or streams flo ...

and Arieșul Mic. It flows through the

Alba ''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English-language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed into the Kingd ...

and

Cluj Cluj-Napoca ( ; ), or simply Cluj ( , ), is a city in northwestern Romania. It is the second-most populous city in the country and the seat of Cluj County. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (), Budapest () and Belgrade ( ...

counties and flows into the

Mureș River Mureș may refer to: * Mureș County, Romania * Mureș (river) in Romania and Hungary (''Maros'') * Mureș culture, a Bronze Age culture from Romania See also * Târgu Mureș, the capital of Mureș County * Ocna Mureș, a town in Alba Cou ...

near the village of Gura Arieșului, which is close to the town of Luduș. The towns of

Câmpeni Câmpeni (German: ''Topesdorf''; Hungarian: ''Topánfalva'') is a town in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. The town administers 21 villages: Boncești, Borlești, Botești (''Botesbánya''), Certege (''Csertés''), Coasta Vâscului, Dănduț ...

, Baia de Arieș,

Turda Turda (; , ; ; ) is a Municipiu, city in Cluj County, Transylvania, Romania. It is located in the southeastern part of the county, from the county seat, Cluj-Napoca, to which it is connected by the European route E81, and from nearby Câmpia ...

, and

Câmpia Turzii Câmpia Turzii (; ; ) is a municipality in Cluj County, Transylvania, Romania, which was formed in 1925 by the union of two villages, Ghiriș (''Aranyosgyéres'') and Sâncrai (''Szentkirály''). It was declared a town in 1950 and a city in 1998. ...

lie on the river Arieș. The upper valley of the river,

Țara Moților Țara Moților (), also known as ''Țara de Piatră'' ("The Stone Land") is an ethnogeographical region of Romania in the Apuseni Mountains, on the upper basin of the Arieș and Crișul Alb River rivers. It covers parts of the Alba, Arad, Bi ...

, 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 Metaliferi Mountains (; ), meaning Ore Mountains, are in the Carpathian Mountain Range and are a division of the Apuseni Mountains. Peaks The highest peak is , with an elevation of . The range also includes the '' Detunatele'', a pair of basalt ...

(part of the

) 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,

, 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 Lungești is a commune located in Vâlcea County, Oltenia, 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 t ...

Buru Buru (formerly spelled Boeroe, Boro, or Bouru) is the third largest island within the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. It lies between the Banda Sea to the south and Seram Sea to the north, west of Ambon Island, Ambon and Seram Island, Seram island ...

Moldovenești Moldovenești (formerly ''Orfalău'' and ''Varfalău''; ; ) is a commune in Cluj County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of six villages: Bădeni (''Bágyon''), Moldovenești, Pietroasa (''Csegez''), Podeni (''Székelyhidas''), Plăiești (' ...

, Cornești, Cheia, Mihai Viteazu,

, Viișoara,

Luna Luna commonly refers to: * Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin, Spanish and other languages * Luna (goddess) In Sabine and ancient Roman religion and myth, Luna is the divine embodiment of the Moon (Latin ''Lūna'' ). She is often presented as t ...

, Luncani, Hădăreni, Gligorești

Tributaries

The following rivers are tributaries to the river Arieș (from source to mouth): Left:

, 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 Abrud (;Ștefan Pascu: A History of Transylvania, Dorset Press, 1990, , ; ) is a town in the north-western part of Alba County, Transylvania, Romania, located on the river Abrud. It administers three villages: Abrud-Sat (''Abrudfalva''), Gura C ...

, Valea Luteștilor, Ștefanca, Valea Mușcanilor, Valea Șesii, Hermăneasa, Cioara, Valea Largă, Cheia,

Rimetea Rimetea (until 1925 ''Trascău''; ; ) is a commune located in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Colțești (formerly ''Sângeorzul Trascăului''; ''Torockószentgyörgy''; ''Sankt Georgen'') and Rimetea. A forme ...

, 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