Zeravshan

The Zeravshan River flows through Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in Central Asia. Its Persian name, "spreader of gold," refers to the occurrence of gold-bearing sands in the river's upper reaches. It was known as the Polytimetus to the ancient Greeks. It was once known as the Sughd River. The river stretches for 877 kilometers (545 miles) and has a basin size of 17,700 square kilometers (6,800 sq mi).

It begins at the Zeravshan Glacier in Tajikistan, near the intersection of the Turkestan Range and the Zeravshan Range of the Pamir-Alay mountains. It is also known as Matcha in its upper course, upstream from its confluence with the Fan Darya. It flows due west for about 300 kilometers (190 miles), passing Panjakent before entering Uzbekistan at 39°32′N 67°27′E, where it turns west-to-north-west, passing the legendary city of Samarkand, where it feeds the Dargom Canal, which is entirely dependent on the oasis thus created, until it bends left again to the west north of Navoiy and further south-west, passing Bukhara before becoming lost in the desert beyond.

Length: 877 km (545 mi)