Karun
Also found in: Dictionary, Wikipedia.
Karun
Karun
a river in Iran, a left tributary of the river Shatt al-Arab. Length, 820 km (according to other data, 850 km); basin area, 60,000 sq km. It rises on the slopes of the Zard Kuh massif (Zagros Mountains). In its upper and middle course it flows through canyons and crosses intermontane basins; in its lower course it flows through the Mesopotamian Lowland. The river is characterized by spring high water caused by meltwaters; there are summer flash floods, and low water is in fall and winter. The average water discharge in the lower course is 770 cu m per sec. Part of the discharge in the upper course is channeled through tunnels to irrigate the Isfahan oasis; in the lower course it is used to irrigate the Mesopotamian Lowland. The Karun is navigable up to the city of Ahvaz, where there are rapids, and above that until the city of Shushtar.