Karun

The Karun is Iran's highest-flowing river and the country's sole navigable river. It is 950 kilometers (590 miles) long. It rises in the Zard Kuh mountains of the Bakhtiari region in the Zagros Range, receiving various tributaries such as the Dez and the Kuhrang before going through the capital of Iran's Khuzestan Province, Ahvaz, before emptying into Arvand Rud (Shatt al-Arab).

The Karun continues into the Persian Gulf, splitting into two major branches on its delta, the Bahmanshir and the Haffar, which join the Arvand Rud and drain into the Persian Gulf. Between these two forks of the Karun sits the significant island of Abadan. The Haffar branch separates the port city of Khorramshahr from the island of Abadan. According to Juris Zarins and other scholars, the Karun is one of the four rivers of Eden, along with the Tigris, Euphrates, and either the Wadi Al-Batin or the Karkheh.

It is said to have originated in the Zagros Mountains of western Iran, on the slopes of Zard-Kuh (4,221 m/13,848 ft). The river travels south and west through numerous significant mountain ranges, receiving water from the Vanak on the south bank and the Bazoft on the north bank. These tributaries contribute to the river's catchment area above the Karun-4 Dam. The Karun expands into the reservoir constructed by the Karun-3 Dam 25 kilometers (16 miles) downstream.

Total Length: 590 miles