Hari (Afghanistan)
| Hari River | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Countries | AfghanistanandTurkmenistan |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Koh-i-Baba |
| Mouth | |
• location | Karakum Desert |
| Length | 1,100 km (680 mi) |
| Basin size | 39,300 km2 |
TheHari River(Persian:هریرودorDari:هری رود,romanized:Harī Rōd;Pashto:د هري سیند) orHerat RiverorTejen RiverorHarirudis ariverflowing 1,100 kilometres (680 mi) from the mountains of centralAfghanistantoTurkmenistan,where it forms theTejenoasis and disappears in theKarakum Desert.In its lower course, the river forms a northern part of the border between Afghanistan andIran,and a southeastern part of the border between Turkmenistan and Iran.
The name of the river derives from theOld Persianword Harawaiah 'river rich in water'.[1]
In Turkmenistan, the Hari is known as theTejenorTedzhen riverand passes close to the city ofTejen.To the ancient Greeks, it was known as theArius.[2]InLatin,it was known as theTarius.
History
[edit]One theory suggests that theRigvedic Sarayuand the Hari are the same river.[3][4]
ABuddhistmonastery hand-carved in the bluff of the river Harirud existed in the first centuries during the prevalence of Buddhism. The artificial caves revealed testimony of daily life of the Buddhist monks.[5]
Course
[edit]
The river originates in the eastern part ofGhor Provincein theBaba mountain range,part of the extensions ofHindu Kushsystem, and follows a relatively straight course to the west.
Some 200 kilometres (120 mi) upstream fromHerat,the river meets the Jam River at the site of theMinaret of Jam,the second tallest ancientminaretin the world at 65 metres (213 ft).
In western Afghanistan, the Hari Rud flows to the south of Herat. The valley around Herat with theParopamisus Mountains(Selseleh-ye Safēd Kōh) on the right river bank was historically famous for its fertility and dense cultivation. After Herat, the river turns northwest, then north, forming the northern part of the border between Afghanistan andIran.Farther north it forms the south-eastern part of the border between Iran and Turkmenistan. TheIran–Turkmenistan Friendship Damis on the river.[6]
TheAfghan-India Friendship Dam (Salma Dam)is ahydroelectricand irrigationdamproject located on the Hari Rud inChishti sharif DistrictofHerat Provincein westernAfghanistan.
The average annual discharge of the Hari Rud is about 55 m3/s, but during a spring flood in 1939 the discharge went up to 1090 m3/s.[7]
In 2000, the river dried up completely during a 10-monthdrought.[8]
Bridges
[edit]Pulkhatyn Bridge
[edit]An unused stone-bridge of five arches, this falls in theAhal Regionof Turkmenistan.[9]It is about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north ofIran–Turkmenistan Friendship Dam.[9]
Pulkhatyn translates to "wealthy woman."[9]InTurkmenlore, the custodian of the bridge was a woman who made a fortune by ta xing all travelers;Alexander the Greathad apparently refused to pay this fee and crossed further downstream.[9]
See also
[edit]- 2020 drowning of Afghan refugees in the Hari River
- Badhyz State Nature Reserve
- Kushk River
- Rigvedic rivers
References
[edit]- ^Everett-Heath, John (2019-10-24).The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Place Names.Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/acref/9780191882913.001.0001.ISBN978-0-19-188291-3.
- ^George Rawlinson(1873).The sixth great Oriental monarchy; or The geography, history, & antiquities of Parthia, collected and illustrated from ancient and modern sources.pp. 69, 444(index).
- ^Irfan Habib; Vijay Kumar Thakur, eds. (2003).The Vedic Age and the Coming of Iron, C. 1500-700 B.C.Tulika. p. 4.
- ^Early Aryans of India, 3100–1400 B.C. By S. B. Roy Page 76
- ^Lithuanian archeologists make discovery in Afghanistan,The Baltic Times,May 22, 2008;Archaeologists make new discoveries about ancient Afghan cultures,Top News,23 May 2008.
- ^Shroder, John F. (2016). "Hari Rud – Murghab River Basin".Transboundary Water Resources in Afghanistan: Climate Change and Land-Use Implications.Saint Louis: Elsevier. pp. 410–412.ISBN978-0-12-801861-3.
- ^"DLM 3 Rivers of the Hindu Kush, Pamir, and Hindu Raj".International Programs.24 April 2019.Retrieved31 October2020.
- ^"Iran-Turkmen river flowing again after drought".Parvand News.3 January 2001. Archived fromthe originalon 9 November 2019.Retrieved15 January2021.
- ^abcdBrummell, Paul (2005).Turkmenistan.Bradt Travel Guides. p. 132.ISBN9781841621449.
External links
[edit]- UNESCO:Minaret of Jam(Press Release No.2002-41) andMinaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam(World Heritage List entry).
- University of Texas: A map showing the river(as 'Hariru').
- A mention of the Tedzhen river(inaccessible on 2013-06-26).
34°39′N66°43′E/ 34.650°N 66.717°E
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