Karun
The Karun (Persian: کارون, IPA: [kɒːˈɾuːn]) is the Iranian river with the highest water flow, and the country's only navigable river. It is 950 km (590 mi) long. The Karun rises in the Zard Kuh mountains of the Bakhtiari district in the Zagros Range, receiving many tributaries, such as the Dez and the Kuhrang. It passes through the capital of the Khuzestan Province of Iran, the city of Ahvaz, before emptying to its mouth into Arvand Rud.
| Karun | |
|---|---|
Map of the Karun River | |
| Native name | کارون (Persian) |
| Location | |
| Country | Iran |
| Provinces | Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Khuzestan |
| Cities | Shushtar, Ahwāz, Khorramshahr |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Zard Kuh |
| • location | Zagros, Khuzestan |
| Mouth | Arvand Roud |
• location | Khorramshahr |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 950 km (590 mi) |
| Basin size | 65,230 km2 (25,190 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Ahwāz |
| • average | 575 m3/s (20,300 cu ft/s) |
| • minimum | 26 m3/s (920 cu ft/s) |
| • maximum | 2,995 m3/s (105,800 cu ft/s) |
The Karun continues toward the Persian Gulf, forking into two primary branches on its delta – the Bahmanshir and the Haffar – that join the Arvand Rud, emptying into the Persian Gulf. The important Island of Abadan is located between these two branches of the Karun. The port city of Khorramshahr is divided from the Island of Abadan by the Haffar branch.
Juris Zarins and other scholars have identified the Karun as one of the four rivers of Eden (Gihon), the others being the Tigris, the Euphrates, and either the Wadi al-Batin or the Karkheh.