Rivers of

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

can be divided into several groups depending on where they flow.

Flow into the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

* Mutludere (also known as Rezovo) flows from Turkey into Bulgaria. 112 km * Veleka flows into Bulgaria and then into the Black Sea. 147 km (25 km in Turkey)

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

* Kızılırmak 'Red River' is the longest river in Turkey, also known as the Halys River. 1,350 km **

Delice River The Delice River (), perhaps the ancient Cappadox (), is the major river of Cappadocia in Anatolia, Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part c ...

- tributary ** Devrez River - tributary ** Gök River - tributary (also known as Gökırmak and in Classical times, Amnias) *

Sakarya River The Sakarya (; ; ; ) is the third longest river in Turkey. It runs through the region known in ancient times as Phrygia. It was considered one of the principal rivers of Asia Minor (Anatolia) in Greek classical antiquity, and is mentioned in th ...

is the third longest river in Turkey, also known as Sangarius. 824 km ** Seydisuyu **

Porsuk River The Porsuk River also Kocasu-Porsuk River (), ancient Tembris, is a river in Turkey, that flows for . The city of Eskişehir is located on the banks of this river. The river is dammed by the Porsuk dam, forming large reservoirs. The Porsuk flow ...

Ankara River Ankara River () is a small river (stream) to the west of Ankara, Turkey. It is a tributary of the Sakarya River. One of its tributaries, the Çubuk Brook, splits Ankara almost in half and crosses through many neighborhoods. There are many bridg ...

* Harşit River in Gümüşhane and Giresun * Yeşilırmak 'Green River' (Classical Iris). 418 km ** Çekerek River (Classical Scylax) is a tributary **

Kelkit River The Kelkit River ( or ''Kelkit Çayı''), is a river in the Black Sea Region of Turkey. It is the longest tributary of the Yeşilırmak. Its name derives from the Armenian ''Gayl get'' ( 'wolf river', Kayl ked in Western Armenian pronunciation ...

(Classical Lycus (one of several)) is a tributary *

Yağlıdere Yağlıdere is a town in Giresun Province in the Black Sea Region, Turkey, Black Sea region of Turkey. It is the seat of Yağlıdere District.Kılıçlar River ** Tohumluk River ** Üçköprü is not actually a river but the point where the Kılıçlar and Tohumluk meet * Aksu Deresi in

Giresun Province Giresun Province (Greek language, Greek : Κερασούντα, ; ) is a Provinces of Turkey, province of Turkey on the Black Sea coast. Its adjacent provinces are Trabzon Province, Trabzon to the east, Gümüşhane Province, Gümüşhane to the ...

* Batlama River in Giresun *

Bartın River Bartın River (''Bartın Çayı''), anciently known as Parthenius or Parthenios (), is a small river in the east of the Black Sea Region of Turkey. Its source is in the Ilgaz Mountains, in Kastamonu Province and Karabük Province. The river flows ...

(Classical Parthenius) *

Çoruh River The Chorokh ( ka, ჭოროხი ''Ch'orokhi'' , , ''Chorokh'', , , ''Akampsis'') is a river that rises in the Mescit Mountains in north-eastern Turkey, flows through the cities of Bayburt, İspir, Yusufeli, and Artvin, along the Kelkit Rive ...

(Classical Acampsis) * Gelevara Deresi * Kara Dere (Classical Hyssus or Hyssos) * Machakhlistskal(i) * Terme River (Classical Thermōdōn) * Filyos River (Classical Billaeus)

Flow into the
Marmara Sea The Sea of Marmara, also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is a small inland sea entirely within the borders of Turkey. It links the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea via the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, separating Turkey's E ...

* Biga Çayı, the classical Granicus * Mustafakemalpaşa Çayı, the classical Rhyndacus * Simav Çayı or Susurluk Çayı, the classical Makestos

Flow into the
Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...

Europe

* Meriç (Maritsa or Evros) is in the European section of Turkey and has its source in

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

. It is 480 km long. ** Tunca is a 350 km tributary in Bulgaria **

Ergene Ergene (; ; ''Eryinis'', , ''Agriánēs'') is a major left tributary of the Maritsa (Meriç) river, flowing entirely in the East Thrace region of Turkey. The river rises from the southern part of Strandzha mountain, not far from the Black Sea and ...

is a tributary inside of Turkey.

Anatolia

Azmak Creek Azmak Creek is a creek in Turkey. It is in Ula, Muğla, Ula ilçe (district) of Muğla Province. It flows to Gulf of Gökova which is southernmost gulf of the Aegean Sea at . It is a short creek, but its average flow rate is per second which is ...

Bakırçay Bakırçay (, ) is a river in Turkey. It rises in the Gölcük Dağları mountains and debouches into the Gulf of Çandarlı. In antiquity, the Bakırçay was or formed part of the ''Kaikos'' or ''Caicus'' River which flowed near the city of ...

(Classical Caicus or Astraeus) *

Büyük Menderes River The Büyük Menderes River ("Great Meander", historically the Maeander or Meander, from Ancient Greek: Μαίανδρος, ''Maíandros''; ), is a river in southwestern Turkey. It rises in west central Turkey near Dinar before flowing west thr ...

(Classical Maeander or Meander). 548 km ** Lycus (river of Phrygia) *** Cadmus (river) * Cayster River or Küçük Menderes. 114 km *

Gediz River The Gediz River (, ) is the second-longest river in Anatolia flowing into the Aegean Sea. From its source of Mount Murat in Kütahya Province, it flows generally west for to the Gediz River Delta in the Gulf of İzmir. Name The ancient Greek ...

(Classical

Hermus In Greek mythology, Hermus or Hermos (Ancient Greek: Ἕρμος) is a name attributed to multiple characters: * Hermus, god of the river Hermus (modern Gediz river) located in the Aegean region of Lydia (modern Turkey). Like most of the rive ...

). 401 km **

Pactolus Pactolus (), also called Chrysorrhoas (Χρυσορρόας), the modern Sart Çayı , is a river near the Aegean coast of Turkey. The river rises from Mount Tmolus, flows through the ruins of the ancient city of Sardis, and empties into the Ged ...

(also known as Sart Çayı) *

Karamenderes River Karamenderes is a river located entirely within the Çanakkale Province of Turkey. It flows west from Mount Ida and empties into the Aegean Sea near the Troy Historical National Park. According to the ''Iliad'', the battles of the Trojan War w ...

(Classical Scamander)

Flow into the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

* Aksu (Classical Kestros) *

Manavgat River Manavgat River originates on the eastern slopes of Western Taurus Mountains in Turkey. In ancient times it was called Melas (). At an elevation of 1,350 m, the outflow of several small springs joins together to become the headwaters of the Manavgat ...

(Classical Melas) *

Köprüçay River Köprüçay, ancient Eurymedon (), is a river that is situated in Antalya Province, Turkey, and empties into the Mediterranean. At its mouth, in the 460s BC (the actual date is highly disputed), the Delian League, Athenian general Cimon defeated ...

(Classical Eurymedon) * Dim River * Kaledran Creek * Dragon Creek (Turkey) * Sini Creek *

Göksu The Göksu River (), known in antiquity as the Calycadnus and in the Middle Ages as the Saleph, is a river on the Taşeli Plateau in southern Turkey. Its two sources arise in the Taurus Mountains—the northern in the Geyik Mountains and the s ...

(Classical Calycadnus) *

Limonlu Çayı The Limonlu River ( ''Lamos''; Latin: ''Lamus''), also known as ''Gökler Deresi'', is a river of ancient Cilicia, now in Mersin Province, Turkey. The river rises at Yüğlük Dağı in the Taurus mountains and flows through deep gorges to the so ...

(also known as Lamas; Classical Lamos) * Alata River * Tömük Creek * Karacaoğlan River * Tece Creek * Mezitli River (Classical Liparis) * Efrenk River (also known as Müftü) * Deliçay *

Berdan River The Berdan (also Baradān or Baradā), the ancient Cydnus (), is a river in Mersin Province, south Turkey. The historical city of Tarsus is on the river and it is therefore sometimes called the Tarsus River. Originally the watercourse passed dir ...

(also called Tarsus; Classical Cydnus) *

Seyhan River The Seyhan River (formerly written ''Seihan'', ''Sihun''; ancient name: , ''Sáros''), alternatively known as ''Sarus'' (or in Turkish as ''Sarus Su''),John Garstang and O.R. Gurney is the longest river of Cilicia and the longest of Turkey t ...

(Classical Sarus) **

Zamantı River Zamantı River is a river in Central Anatolia, Turkey, crossing Kayseri Province in practically its whole course to join Seyhan River further south, of which it is the western, the longest and the most important tributary. Zamantı and Göksu jo ...

Ceyhan River The Ceyhan River (historically Pyramos or Pyramus (), Leucosyrus () or Jihun) is a river in Anatolia in the south of Turkey. Course of the river The Ceyhan River (Pyramus) has its source (known as ''Söğütlü Dere'') at a location called '' ...

(Classical Pyramus or Leucosyrus). 509 km ** Harman Çayı ** Göksun Çayı 115 km * Payas River * Deli Çay River *

Asi River The Orontes (; from Ancient Greek , ) or Nahr al-ʿĀṣī, or simply Asi (, ; ) is a long river in Western Asia that begins in Lebanon, flowing northwards through Syria before entering the Mediterranean Sea near Samandağ in Hatay Province, Tur ...

(Classical Orontes) ** Afrin River *** Karasu

Flow into the
Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...

** Khabur River *** Jaghjagh River **

Sajur River The Sajur ( ; ) is a long river originating in Turkey and flowing into the Euphrates in Syria. It is the smallest of the three rivers joining the Euphrates in Syria, and the only one that joins the Euphrates on its western bank. Occupation in th ...

** Karasu **

Murat River The Murat River, also called Eastern Euphrates (, , ), is a major source of the Euphrates River. The Ancient Greeks and Romans used to call the river ''Arsanias'' (). It originates near Mount Ararat north of Lake Van, in Eastern Turkey, and flows ...

***

Kocasu Creek (Hınıs) The Kocasu Creek, also called Hınıs Çayı (), is one of the tributaries of the Murat River in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. Geology and geography During the eroding factors and processes of volcanic activities on Bingöl Mountai ...

Tigris The Tigris ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the eastern of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian Desert, Syrian and Arabia ...

Great Zab The Great Zab or Upper Zab (; or ; ; ) is an approximately long river flowing through Turkey and Iraq. It rises in Turkey near Lake Van and joins the Tigris in Iraq south of Mosul. During its course, the river collects water from many tributar ...

(in Turkish Büyükzap Suyu) ** Little Khabur ** Botan River (Uluçay) **

Batman River The Batman River is a major tributary of the Tigris in southeast Turkey. The region along the Batman River is known for its oil fields. Course The river originates in Turkey's Anti-Taurus Mountains (at the Sason and Genç mountains) and flows ...

** Hezir River

Flow into the
Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...

* Kura River **

Aras River The Aras is a transboundary river in the Caucasus. It rises in eastern Turkey and flows along the borders between Turkey and Armenia, between Turkey and the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan, between Iran and both Azerbaijan and Armenia, and, fin ...

*** Arpaçay River (also known as Akhurian) is a tributary of the Aras. It arises in

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

and forms part of the border between Armenia and Turkey before joining the Aras.

Ancient

* Aegospotami *

Asopus Asopus (; ''Āsōpos'') is the name of four different rivers in Greece and one in Turkey. In Greek mythology, it was also the name of the God (male deity), gods of those rivers. Zeus carried off Aegina (mythology), Aegina, Asopus' daughter, and ...

* Cales (river), modern Alaplı Su * Hyllus (river) * Lycus (river of Bithynia) * Lycus (river of Cilicia) *

Lycus (river of Lydia) Lycus or Lykos () was an ancient river of Lydia Lydia (; ) was an Iron Age Monarchy, kingdom situated in western Anatolia, in modern-day Turkey. Later, it became an important province of the Achaemenid Empire and then the Roman Empire. Its ca ...

River Meles The River Meles () (more appropriately described as "Meles Brook") is a stream charged with history and famous in literature, especially by virtue of being associated in a common and consistent tradition with Homer's birth and works. It flowed by t ...

Pinarus River The Pinarus River () is a small stream in southern Anatolia near today's Turkey—Syria border. It was famous in antiquity as the site of the First Battle of Issus, where Alexander the Great defeated Darius III of Persia. Ancient sources des ...

Gallery

File:Kızılırmak, Turkey.jpg, Kızılırmak

Nevşehir Province Nevşehir Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province in central Turkey with its capital in Nevşehir. Its area is 5,485 km2, and its population is 317,952 (2024). Its adjacent provinces are Kırşehir Province, Kırşehir to the northwest ...

File:Ceyhan River, Turkey.jpg, Ceyhan River

Adana Province Adana Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality of Turkey located in central Cilicia. The administrative seat of the province is the city of Adana, home to 78.25% of the r ...

File:PorsukBridge (28).jpg, Porsuk River

Eskişehir Province Eskişehir Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality in northwestern Turkey. Its area is 13,960 km2, and its population is 906,617 (2022). Its adjacent provinces are B ...

File:Silifke Bridge Mersin Province.JPG, Göksu River

Mersin Province Mersin Province (), formerly İçel Province (), is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality in southern Turkey, on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast between Antalya Province, A ...

File:Müftü River in Mersin.JPG, Müftü River
Mersin Province File:Near Belemedik Adana Province.jpg, Seyhan River
Adana Province File:Mezitli River, Mersin.JPG, Mezitli River
Mersin Province File:GedizRiver IzmirProvince Turkey.jpg, Gediz River

İzmir Province İzmir Province () is a province and metropolitan municipality of Turkey in western Anatolia, situated along the Aegean coast. Its capital is the city of İzmir, which is in itself composed of the province's central 11 districts out of 30 in to ...

File:Sakarya River.jpg, Sakarya River

Sakarya Province Sakarya () is a province and metropolitan municipality in Turkey, located on the coast of the Black Sea. Its area is , and its population is 1,080,080 (2022). The Sakarya River creates a webbing of estuaries in the province, which is in the Ma ...

Flow into the Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

Flow into the Marmara Sea The Sea of Marmara, also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is a small inland sea entirely within the borders of Turkey. It links the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea via the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, separating Turkey's E ...

Flow into the Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...