The Argun (, , , ka, არღუნი, ), also known as Chantiy-Argun, cognate with one of the biggest Chechen teips Chantiy, is a river in the
Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...
. It flows through the northern Caucasus,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
, and the
Chechen Republic
Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federal District, and share ...
of
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
. It is an affluent of the
Sunzha and lies within the river basin of the
Terek. It is long, and has a
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
of .
The river has its sources on the northern slopes of the Caucasus in
Khevsureti
Khevsureti () is a historical and ethnographic region in eastern Georgia. Khevsurs are the branch of Kartvelian ( Georgian) people located along both the northern (''Pirikita khevsureti'') and southern (''Piraketa khevsureti'') slopes of the Grea ...
, Georgia. The Argun flows in western Chechnya through the
Itum-Kalinsky and
Shatoysky districts.
This area was the first place where the
Chechens
The Chechens ( ; , , Old Chechen: Нахчой, ''Naxçoy''), historically also known as ''Kistin, Kisti'' and ''Durdzuks'', are a Northeast Caucasian languages, Northeast Caucasian ethnic group of the Nakh peoples native to the North Caucasus. ...
established themselves. Many ruins of former villages built in the traditional style can still be seen. The Argun serves as a natural border between the
Shalinsky and the
Groznensky District
__NOTOC__
Groznensky District (; , ''Sölƶa-Ġalin khoşt'') is an administrativeDecree #500 and municipalLaw #12-RZ district (raion), one of the fifteen in the Chechen Republic, Russia. It is located in the central and western parts of the rep ...
s. The occupation of its valley by the Russians in 1858 was an important event in the last phase of the
Russian conquest of Chechnya and Dagestan. Before the
First
First most commonly refers to:
* First, the ordinal form of the number 1
First or 1st may also refer to:
Acronyms
* Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array
* Far Infrared a ...
and
Second Chechen War
Names
The Second Chechen War is also known as the Second Chechen Campaign () or the Second Russian Invasion of Chechnya from the Chechens, Chechen insurgents' point of view.Федеральный закон № 5-ФЗ от 12 января 19 ...
s the region around the river was populated by numerous farms and houses. The town of
Argun is named after the river.
On September 7, 2008, the only bridge crossing the Argun River, connecting northern and southern territories of Chechnya, collapsed. Drivers caught on the bridge escaped without injury. A federal road administration representative linked the accident to abnormal stress from heavy military vehicles.
[ gazeta.ru, September 7, 200]
/ref>
Description
The Argun River has a length of 148 km and a basin area of 3390 km2. The average slope of the river is 17.63 m/km and its average water consumption is 45.6 m3/s. The food source of the Argun River is mixed, and there is no solid freeze-up.
The Argun River originates from glaciers on the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Range. In its upper reaches, before it merges with the Sharoargun River, it is known as Chanty-Argun. The river then flows through the Argun Gorge in mountainous Chechnya, which is mostly treeless near the source and covered with almost continuous forests further downstream. The mountainous part of the Argun basin and its tributaries form the western part of mountainous Chechnya, the Itum-Kalinsky and Shatoisky districts. This area is one of the original settlements of the Chechen people and is characterized by numerous ancient ruins of auls with traditional tower structures.
Upon reaching the plain, the Argun becomes the border between the Grozny and Shali regions of Chechnya until it flows into the Sunzha River. The valley is densely populated, and before the war, it was characterized by the almost continuous development of private estate-type houses. The city of Argun is located in the lower reaches of the river.
Gallery
Река Чанты-Аргун и дорога в укрепление Евдокимовское.png, Chanty-Argun river. 1850-1896
Восточный Кавказ. Аргунское ущелье (выше Шатили). (файл 2).jpg, The Argun River (above Shatili), photo by Desha Moritz. 1897
Восточный Кавказ. Аргунское ущелье (выше Шатили).jpg, The Argun River, photo of the expedition of Count Desha Moritz. 1897
Shatili, Argun 4, Khevsureti, Georgia, Greater Caucasus mountains.jpg, Shatili Valley
Ушкалой Орга.jpg, Argun near the village of Ushkaloy 2021
Пейзаж у Дуба-Юрта.JPG, View of the Argun River (Shali district) in relative proximity to the village of Chiri-Yurt
Аргун Чечня.JPG, Argun river in Duba-Yurt, Chechnya
Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federa ...
Висячей мост у Дуба-Юрта.JPG, Suspension bridge near Duba-Yurt
Мост через Аргун 1.jpg, Bridge across Argun to Nikhaloevsky waterfalls
References
Rivers of Chechnya
Rivers of Georgia (country)
International rivers of Europe
International rivers of Asia
{{NorthCaucasus-river-stub