The Simineh River ( fa, سیمّینه رود ), also known as the Tatavi Chay (Tatāhū Čāy), is a river in northern

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...

, arising in the Zagros Mountains of Kurdistan Province north of

Saqqez Saqqez ( ; fa, سقز ; ), also known as Saghez, Saqez, Saqqiz, Saqiz, and Sakīz, is the capital city of Saqqez County in Kurdistan Province, in northwestern Iran. According to the 2016 census, its population was 165,258. Etymology The nam ...

, that flows into the south end of

Lake Urmia Lake Urmia; az, اۇرمۇ گؤلۆ, script=Arab, italic=no, Urmu gölü; ku, گۆلائوو رمیەیێ, Gola Ûrmiyeyê; hy, Ուրմիա լիճ, Urmia lich; arc, ܝܡܬܐ ܕܐܘܪܡܝܐ is an endorheic salt lake in Iran. The lake is ...

. It is just over long and has a catchment basin (watershed) of . Its waters are used primarily for agriculture and the return flow significantly degrades its water quality. Like its twin the Zarineh River to the east, the Simineh arises in the Zagros Mountains of Kurdistan Province and flows north through West Azarbaijan Province. Unlike its twin, the Simineh has considerably less flow into Lake Urmia. Like the rest of the steams in the basin, the river has a seasonal variability in its flow rates, but during the spring run-off the river can discharge as much as into

. The Simineh River flows just to the west of the city of

Bukan Bukan ( fa, بوکان, translit=Bukân, ku, بۆکان, translit=Bokan) is the capital of Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. As of 2016, its population was estimated to be near 193,501 people or 56,000 families. The city is situated ...

, and provides some of their water. cited by

References

Rivers of West Azerbaijan Province Assyrian geography Landforms of West Azerbaijan Province Iranian Kurdistan Saqqez County {{Iran-river-stub