Iran's rivers flow into either the Persian Gulf or the Caspian Sea. But in the central part of the country, river beds are filled with water only after the snow melts in the mountainous area. The rest of the time the beds are completely dry.
Sefidrud river
Sefidrud, translated from Farsi, sounds like "white river". It is the Sefidrud that is the largest river in Northern Iran.
Initially, the source of Sefidrud was formed by two mountain rivers - Kyzyluzen and Shakhrud (southern slopes of Elbrus). Today it leaves the Shabanu reservoir. The confluence is the Caspian Sea. Before the confluence, the river forms a wide delta.
Sefidrud is the most abundant river in the entire Iranian coast of the Caspian Sea. The total length of Sefidrud with Kyzylusen is 720 kilometers. The river is fed by all four types: snow; underground; rain; glacial.
In 1962, a hydroelectric power station was built at the confluence of the Kyzyluzen and Shahrud rivers, which led to the formation of the Shabanu reservoir. And now the source of Sefidrud is the waters of the reservoir. This made it possible to minimize the risk of flooding in the river delta, which until then were far from uncommon.
The delta extends far enough into the Caspian, but after the construction of the dam of the reservoir, the advancement speed was significantly reduced. There are several large cities in the river delta: Rasht; Bender-Anzali; Lengerud.
Kushefrud river
The river bed is located in the lands of northwestern Iran. The total length of the current is 260 kilometers. The main tributary of the Kushefrud is Gerirurd. The river is formed by melt and rainwater runoff. Conventionally, the river originates on the slope of the Kopetdag (height above sea level is 3000 meters). Kushefrud is fed by rains and melted snows in spring.
The Kushefrud channel passes through the territory of the Mashhad oasis, where about 2.5 million people live. And here there is an intensive analysis of water and at the end of summer the river bed becomes practically empty.
Karun river
Karun is the only navigable river in Iran, its length is 950 kilometers. The channel runs through the territory of the southwestern lands of the country. In ancient times, the waters of the river flowed into the Persian Gulf, but today it is a different place.
The source of the river is the Zagros Mountains (territories of the provinces of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiariya). The place of confluence is the Shatt al-Arab river (in the territory of the city of Khorramshahr). On the way, Karun takes the Diz River. There is Abadan Island in the river delta. On its territory there is a city with the same name.
