The blue artery of Georgia: the right tributary of the Kura - Araks, the left tributaries and the Kura itself

If anyone is lucky with the rest, then this is the tourists who have had a chance to spend their holidays in Georgia. This wonderful land strikes with the grandeur of the mountains and the beauty of the landscapes. Here you can see historical places and ancient mountain villages, learn the ancient traditions of the Georgian people, take a dip in the clear blue sea, improve your health, try the world-famous Georgian dishes, see the mountain incendiary dances.

This country will appeal to those who love the virgin nature, green forests and majestic mountains. But today our short story about the fast-moving mountain rivers of Georgia, or rather, the longest Georgian river Mktvari, better known as Kura, and its tributaries. It originates in the mountains of northern Turkey, crosses eastern and southern Georgia and flows into the Caspian Sea on the territory of Azerbaijan. In the upper part the river rushes its waters among the gorges and gorges, which alternate with intermountain hollows and plains, below Tbilisi it runs to separate branches in some places. Here the valley of the fast river expands, the current calms down.

Not reaching the mouth of its more than 200 km river replenishes the largest right tributary of the Kura - Araks. Its source and headwaters are on the Bingel Range in Turkey, the lower reaches are in the territory of Azerbaijan, and in the Kura it flows not far from the city of Sibirabad. The right tributary of the Kura Araks over a considerable extent is a border river dividing Armenia and Azerbaijan with Iran and Turkey. On the right bank of the Araks is the Ararat mountain range. Big Ararat is covered with mysterious eternal snows, under which, possibly, to this day are hidden the remains of Noah's Ark. Araks is not the only right tributary of the Kura; on the right, other rivers flow into it, relatively small: Khrami, Agstev, Ahum, Kurekchay. Many small streams simply do not have time to bring their waters to the Kura - they are disassembled for irrigation.

In the area of the Mingechaur reservoir, the left tributary of the Kura River, the Alazani River, replenishes the river flow with its waters. It originates from springs located on the southern slopes of the B. Caucasus at an altitude of 2837 m above sea level. Alazani is the largest left-sided tributary of the Kura. In the upper reaches, close to the source, the water in the river is the most transparent in the entire Eastern Caucasus. In the river valley are many attractions: ancient watchtowers and battle towers, the ruins of the ancient fortress of Bakhtrioni, the estate of the princes Chavchavadze, etc.

Another left tributary of the Kura is Aragvi. The merging of these two powerful and beautiful rivers at all times did not leave indifferent famous Georgian poets. And remember, Lermontov in "Mtsyri" compares these rivers with two embracing sisters? The monastery, which the poet mentions, still exists. Built in the 7th century, it is a masterpiece of architecture. From the hill near the monastery of Jvari it is especially easy to see how the two rivers merge, and on their shores lies the ancient city of Mtskheta with towers of temples.

Flowing through the territory of Georgia, rivers rush their waters either to the Black Sea basin or to the Caspian. The large-water right tributary of the Kura Araks and Kura itself, together with all the other tributaries, together take the largest water runoff to the Caspian. The rivers (the main one is Rioni), belonging to the Black Sea basin, do not have a common system and fall into the sea each in itself. It is hard to imagine, but the territorially small country of Georgia has up to 25 thousand rivers, rivers and streams, which, feeding mainly glacial and snow melting waters, underground sources and due to precipitation, carry their fertile waters everywhere, irrigating the fairy land.