- Orontes River
-
River, Middle East.Rising in the Biqā Valley of Lebanon and flowing north between the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountains, it passes the cities of Hims and Ḥamāh in Syria, where it has been dammed to form Ḥimṣ Lake. Northwest of Ḥamāh it enters Turkey, where it flows west past the ancient city of Antioch and empties into the Mediterranean Sea. It is unnavigable for most of its 355 mi (571 km) length but is an important source of water for irrigation.
* * *
Arabic Nahr al-ʿĀṣī,river in southwestern Asia, draining a large part of the northern Levant into the Mediterranean Sea. From its source in Al-Biqāʿ (Bekaa) Valley of central Lebanon, the river flows northward between the parallel ranges of the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountains into Syria, where it has been dammed to form Lake Qaṭṭīnah. Northwest of Ḥamāh the Orontes crosses the fertile Al-Ghāb, once a swampy depression, and enters Turkey, where it bends westward and empties into the sea near Samandağı. Largely unnavigable for most of its 250-mile (400-km) length, it is nonetheless an important source of irrigation water, especially between Ḥimṣ and Ḥamāh and in Al-Ghāb. Major tributaries of the Orontes include the Karasu and ʿAfrīn rivers. Ḥimṣ, Ḥamāh, and the ancient Greek city of Antioch (Antakya) are the largest riparian settlements.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
