Alwand River

The Alwand or Halwan (Arabic: نهر حلوان, Kurdish: Çemê Elwen ,ڕووباری ئەڵوەن, Persian: رود الوند) is a river in eastern Iraq and western Iran. It rises in the Zagros Mountains in Iran.^[1]

Alwand River in Khanaqin at night with the historical Alwand Bridge on top of it

The river flows west from the mountains to the city of Qasr-e Shirin, where it turns south and crosses the border with Iraq. It then divides the city of Khanaqin in two parts. It has played a significant role in land cultivation and in establishment of a strong rural society in the area, and is considered by the people of Khanaqin a symbol for their unity and Kurdish identity.

The river joins the Diyala River at Zengabadh.^[1][2]

Name

According to Vladimir Minorsky, the name "Alwand" is related to the name of the historical city of Hulwan, which lay on the river near the present-day city of Sarpol-e Zahab.^[3]: 80

Geography

The Alwand basin is located on the western side of the Zagros and covers an area of about 2,700 km².^{[2]: 787–8} The climate of this region is semiarid to Mediterranean, with cool winters and dry summers.^[2]: 788 It receives an average of about 530 mm of rainfall per year.^[2]: 788 The region is characterized by karst terrain, and there are about 35 karst springs in the Alwand basin (12 major and 23 minor).^[2]: 789

Geology

The Alwand basin features seven main anticlines, which are separated from each other by synclines.^[2]: 789 About 36% of the basin is made up of carbonate formations, primarily the Asmari Formation.^[2]: 789 The Asmari Formation, which makes up the main body of the anticlines, consists of Tertiary dolomitic limestone and dolomite.^[2]: 789 Above it lie layers of the marl-and-sandstone Aghajari Formation or the gypsum-and-marl Gachasaran Formation.^[2]: 789 Below it is the Cretaceous Pabdeh-Gurpi Formation, which consists of marl and shale.^[2]: 789 Another carbonate formation, the Cretaceous Ilam Formation, is made of limestone and is only exposed in the Patagh anticline.^[2]: 789 The Asmari Formation, confined beneath the impermeable Aghajari and Gachasaran Formations, is the main aquifer in the Alwand basin.^[2]: 789

See also

• Alwand Dam
• Alwand refinery (1927)