The Qarqarçay () or Karkar () is a river located in
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
, in the
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, ...
of the
Kura. Parts of the river flow through
Nagorno Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh (, ; ) is a region in Azerbaijan, covering the southeastern stretch of the Lesser Caucasus mountain range. Part of the greater region of Karabakh, it spans the area between Lower Karabakh and Syunik Province, Syunik. Its ter ...
. Its length is , and the area of the basin .
[''Azerbaijan Soviet Encyclopedia'' (1979), vol. 3, p. 70] The river begins on the
Karabakh Plateau at an altitude of and is formed by the confluence of the rivers Zarysly and Khalfali.
The main
tributaries
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 the ...
are the Ballyja, Badara and Daghdaghan. The Qarqar is fed by rain, snow and underground waters.
The
Askeran fortress is situated on the banks of the Qarqar.
Hydronym
''Qarqarçay'', romanized as ''Gargarchay'', consists of the name ''Gargar'' and the
Turkic suffix ''-chay'' (), meaning "river".
German scientist
Heinrich Hübschmann
Johann Heinrich Hübschmann (1 July 1848 – 20 January 1908) was a German philologist.
Life
Hübschmann was born on 1 July 1848 at Erfurt. He studied Oriental philology at Jena, Tübingen, Leipzig, and Munich; in 1876 he became professor of Ira ...
explains that ''Karkar'' () is etymologized from
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
– meaning “heap of stones”.
Gallery
File:Řeka Karkar, Náhorní Karabach.jpg, Qarqar river
File:Waterfall, Karabakh Azerbaijan.jpg, "Zontik" (Umbrella) natural monument
See also
*
Rivers and lakes in Azerbaijan
The water bodies of Azerbaijan were formed over a long geological timeframe and changed significantly throughout that period. This is particularly evidenced by remnants of ancient rivers found throughout the country. The country's water systems ar ...
*
Tartarchay
The Tartar (, ) is one of the tributaries of the Kura river located in Azerbaijan. It passes through the districts of Kalbajar, Barda and Tartar.
Overview
The Tartar is a left tributary of the Kura, the largest river in the Caucasus. The ri ...
References
Rivers of Azerbaijan
{{Azerbaijan-river-stub