Qarqarçay

The Qarqarçay (Gargarchay) or Karkar (Armenian: Կարկառ) is a river located in Azerbaijan, in the drainage basin of the Kura. Parts of the river flow through the Nagorno Karabakh. Its length is 115 kilometres (71 mi), the area of the basin is 1,490 square kilometres (580 sq mi).^[1] The river begins on the Karabakh Plateau at an altitude of 2,080 metres (6,820 ft) and is formed by the confluence of the rivers Zarysly and Khalfali.^[1] The main tributaries are Ballyja, Badara and Daghdaghan. The Qarqar is fed by rain, snow and underground waters.

Qarqarçay
Canyon of the Qarqarçay
Location
Country	Azerbaijan
Physical characteristics
Mouth	Kura
• coordinates	40°09′32″N 47°32′06″E
Length	115 km (71 mi)
Basin size	1,490 km2 (580 sq mi)
Basin features
Progression	Kura→ Caspian Sea

The Askeran fortress is situated on the banks of the Qarqar.

Hydronym

Qarqarçay, romanized as Gargarchay, consists of the name Gargar and the Turkic suffix -chay (Azerbaijani: -çay), meaning "river".^{[2][verification needed]} German scientist Heinrich Hübschmann explains that Karkar (Armenian: Կարկառ) is etymologized from Armenian – meaning “heap of stones”.^[3]

Gallery

• 
  Qarqar river
• 
  "Zontik" (Umbrella) natural monument

See also

• Rivers and lakes in Azerbaijan
• Tartarchay

References

1. Azerbaijan Soviet Encyclopedia (1979), vol. 3, p. 70
2. Sushinskaya, Irina Mikhaylovna (2008). Функциональная и структурно-семантическая типология эргонимов для обозначения субъектов в украинском и испанском языках (in Russian). Культура народов Причерноморья. p. 167.
3. Hübschmann, Heinrich (1904). Die altarmenischen Ortsnamen. Mit Beiträgen zur historischen Topographie Armeniens und einer Karte. Verlag von Karl J. Trübner. p. 439.