Car tours and excursions in the Kyzylorda region -
The Syr Darya is the name of a river in Central Asia. It is sometimes called the Jaxartes, after the ancient Greek name ὁ Ιαξάρτη. The Greek name of the river comes from the Old Persian phrase Yakhsha Arta ("Great Coral"), which refers to the color of the river's water. In medieval Muslim writings, the river is called "Seyhun" (سيحون) after one of the four rivers in paradise.
The name Syr Darya, derived from Persian, has been used since ancient times. In the West, the river was called the Jaxartes until the 20th century. The northern border of the lands conquered by Alexander the Great ran along the Syr Darya. According to Greek historians, Alexander founded the city of Alexandria or Eskhata ("farthest Alexandria") in 329 BC. This city is now called Khujand.
The river originates at the confluence of two rivers in the Tien Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan and eastern Uzbekistan: the Naryn and Kara Darya, and flows into the Aral Sea after a distance of 2,212 km. The water of the Syr Darya River is used to irrigate the most fertile cotton-growing regions of Central Asia and to supply water to the neighboring cities of Kokand, Khujand, Turkestan, and Kyzylorda.
Tourist Information
Guy Le Strandge's book, "Lands of the Istra Caliphate," contains information about the Syr Darya River. He wrote that the Syr Darya is called Shash. Locals call it the Shash River, and al-Mustafa says that in the 14th century, the Mongols called it Gulzaryan. The Arabs called it Seykhun. The Turks called the river Syr Darya or Syrsu. Page 53 of Barthold's book "History of the Turks in Central Asia" contains information about the Syr Darya River. Abu al-Gazida named it this way. Ibn Hawqal said that the Seyhun River flows through Turkic lands. According to Ibn Hawqal, this river, flowing from the mountains, flows into the Aral Sea.
Arab travelers say that the Seyhun is similar to the Jeyhun River, which is navigable. In winter, the river's surface freezes for a long time. For this reason, carts continued to travel along the river. The Syr Darya and Amu Darya up to Jeyhun were called Seyhun, Jaxarthex, and Oxis.
It is believed that the Arabs may have taken the names Seyhun and Jeyhun from the Hebrews. Jewish writings mention the Pison and Gihon rivers. Seyhun and Jeyhun may be close to these words, but their meanings are unknown. During the Mongol invasion, the name Seykhun entered common usage and became known as Syr Darya.
General Information
The administrative territory of Kyzylorda Oblast, located along the lower reaches of the Syr Darya River to the Aral Sea, is situated on the large sandy plain of the Turan Basin. To the south of the oblast lies the northern part of the Kyzylkum Desert, while to the north lies the Tertiary-Cretaceous plateau and the Karakum sands on the southern outskirts of Central Kazakhstan. Most of the oblast is the former Syr Darya River delta. The Aral Sea is located to the west.
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