Aras River

Situated in the northernmost part of Iran, the raging Aras River is a beautiful and pristine landscape and is connected with many historical events.

Features of Aras River

Aras River is more than a thousand kilometers long and its average flow reaches more than 1200 cubic meters per second. This river originates from the Bingol Mountains in the Anatolian region of Türkiye and flows into the Kura River. The water of this river eventually flows into the Caspian Sea. After joining the Arpa River, the Aras River forms the common border of Iran with the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan, Armenia, and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Aras River was recognized as the border of Iran and the Russian Empire from February 21, 1828, after the “Treaty of Turkmenchay”. Despite the passage of about 200 years since the separation of the two parts of the Aras River from each other, there are some rituals and customs that the people on both sides of this river share and establish cultural commonality between them.

Islands and Structures of Aras River

In order to connect the two sides of Aras River and use its water flow, some structures have been built on it in different periods of time. A dam named “Poldasht” which is located in an area with the same name, in the most northwestern region of Iran, is one of these structures that Iran and the Soviet Union built jointly. Khodaafrin and Qiz Qal’asi dams were also built on the Aras River jointly by Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. Also, five bridges named Ahani, Shuse, Poldasht, Khodaafrin (border of Iran and Azerbaijan), and Nordoz (border of Iran and Armenia) have been built on this river.

There are 805 small and big but uninhabited islands in the middle of the Aras River, which are called “Sham”. According to the border agreement, 427 of these islands belong to Iran and 382 islands to the Soviet Union, which are now part of the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Only a few of these islands have a name and the rest are just numbered. Usually, the main islands of this river are used to provide food for livestock.

The Name of Aras River and Its Place in Persian Literature

Aras River is called “Araas” in Turkish language, “Araaz” in Azerbaijani Turkish, and “Araaks” in Armenian. According to linguists, “Aras” is probably derived from the word “Araxs” in the Median, Medean, or Medic language, which means fast denoting the rapid flow of water in this river. Armenians believe that the name of the river is related to “Arast’, the great-grandson of the legendary Armenian family of Hayek.

Great Iranian poets such as Hafez, Rumi, and Nizami have mentioned the Aras River in their poems. In all of these references, Aras River is considered a roaring river overflowing with water. Also, in the opinion of Iranian poets, the Aras River is a place where it is possible to grasp the absolute truth and one can attain lofty spiritual levels by visiting it. As Hafez said:

ای صبا گر بگذری بر ساحل رود ارس/ بوسه زن بر خاک آن وادی و مشکین کن نفس

(O Wind if you pass by the shore of the Aras River/Kiss that land and purify your soul)

Aras in the Iranian Calendar

During World War II, the Soviet Union and England launched ground and air attacks on Iran on August 25, 1941. At the Jolfa border in the northwest of Iran, the Soviet forces planned to penetrate Iran by crossing over the iron bridge of the Aras River. Although the order was to retreat, three Iranian soldiers by the names “Musayeb Malek Mohammadi”, “Seyyed Mohammad Rathi Hashemi”, and “Abdullah Shahriari” voluntarily confronted the huge number of invading forces and kept them behind the border for 48 hours. The Soviet army was able to cross the bridge and enter Iran only after these three border guards were martyred.

In order to honor the resistance of these three soldiers against a well-equipped army and its formidable artillery August 25th has been named as the National Day of Aras in the Iranian Calendar.