Sirwan River
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sîrwan (Continues in Iraq as Diyala river) | |
|---|---|
 Sirwin River | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Iran/Iraq |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Western Iran |
| Mouth | |
• location | Tigris River |
| Length | 445 km (277 mi) |
| Basin size | 32,600 km2 (12,600 sq mi)[1] |
The Sirwan (Kurdish: Sîrwan, Sorani Kurdish: سيروان, Arabic: نهر ديالى, Persian: سیروان) is a river and tributary of the Tigris that originates in Iran. The Sirwan (or Sirvan) then runs mainly through eastern Iraq. It covers a total distance of 445 km (277 mi).
It rises near Hamadan, in the Zagros Mountains of Iran. Descending through the mountains, for some 32 km it forms the Iran-Iraq border. It finally feeds into the Tigris below Baghdad. Navigation of the upper reaches of the Diyala is not possible because of its narrow defiles, but the river's valley provides an important trade route between Iran and Iraq.
History
The river is mentioned in Herodotus' Histories under the name Gyndes, where it is stated that the king Cyrus the Great dispersed it by digging 360 channels as punishment after a sacred white horse perished there. The river returned to its former proportions after the channels disappeared under the sand. The Battle of Diyala River took place in 693 BC between the forces of the Assyrian empire and the Elamites of southern Iran.
