If the Zhonghua Water Tower is the source of the three rivers in the hinterland of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, then the "water tower" of the Central Asian countries is undoubtedly the South Tianshan Mountains (the Tianshan Mountains are divided from north to south in the Ili River Valley). As one of the seven major mountain systems in the world, the Tianshan Mountains are the world's largest independent latitudinal mountain system, and the largest mountain system in the arid region of the world, which not only divides China's Xinjiang into two (tarim basin on the south side and junggar basin on the north side), but also serves as the water source of major rivers in Central Asia, such as the Chu River, Ili River, Taras River, Zelafshan River and Syr Darya River, as well as most of the tributaries of the Amu Darya River (the source is in the Pamir Plateau). They start from the South Tianshan Mountains at an altitude of several thousand meters, pass through thousands of ravines, grassland deserts, and show strong vitality, these rivers of different lengths and different destinies have given birth to immortal human civilizations in different historical periods and with the same generosity. Even today, thousands of years later, many cultures, beliefs, and customs of China's Xinjiang and Central Asian countries can find their "roots" and their original origins here.
The Tian shan mountains are the water sources of the Central Asia Syr Darya, Chu, Taras and Amu Darya rivers
The Syr Darya River, in ancient Chinese history, is known as the "Medicine Killing Water", "Zhenzhu River" or "Quality River". It is the longest river in Central Asia flowing down from the South Tian Shan Mountains (the Amu Darya is the most flowing), which is the protagonist of this article. As the mother river of Central Asian civilization, the Syr Darya River contains the Northern Huns who fled westward, nurtured the Turkic, Gelug, Sogdian and other peoples, and carried the glory and shame, glory and decline of these peoples... This most legendary river passes through the three countries of Uzbekistan, Tajik and Kazakhstan, not only shouldering the responsibility of irrigating and generating electricity along the banks of the river, but also creating many ancient and splendid human civilizations in the vast Syr darya River basin for thousands of years. Eventually, it was injected into the vanishing Aral Sea through the Turan lowlands and became one of the water sources on which it relied.
Topographic map of the Syr Darya River Basin
As the longest river in Central Asia, the Syr darya River has a total length of 3,019 kilometers, a basin area of 219,000 square kilometers, an average annual flow of 446 cubic meters per second in the estuary, and an average annual runoff of 33.6 billion cubic meters. As the saying goes, "the source can only flow long", the reason why the Syr Darya River can cross most of Central Asia is precisely due to the two major tributaries of the upper reaches of the Syr Darya River: the North Branch Naren River and the South Branch Caladaria River. Among them, the North Branch Naren River originates from the Zhongtianshan Glacier near the border between China and Kyrgyzstan, and is close to Lake Issyk-Kul. The South Branch Of the Caladaria River originates from the watershed of the West Tianshan Mountains in Kyrgyzstan and Ucha County, Xinjiang, China, and is supplemented by snowmelt water replenishment as the main glacier meltwater of the South Tianshan Mountains. These two tributaries bring a steady stream of water to the Syr darya, and the Naren and Caladaria rivers merge near Namangan in the eastern part of the Fergana Basin and become known as the Syr Darya.
Map of the upper basin of the Syr Darya River in the Fergana Basin
Unlike the Moinkum Desert, which has its own river in the north and south (i.e. the Talaz River on the west side and the Chu River on the east side), the Kyzylkum Desert region has only one large river, the Syr Darya River. This situation is largely due to the existence of a powerful catchment area in the Fergana Basin. The narrow exit on the west side of the Fergana Basin, the Kujaen Gorge, forces the water from the Fergana Basin to flow in a single line into the Kyzyl Basin (i.e., the Hungry Steppe). Of course, it does not matter whether the river system is united or divided into two, what matters is the amount of water. From this point of view, the total amount of water in the Taraz and Chu rivers is only a fraction of the Syr Darya River.
The greatest geopolitical potential of the Syr Darya Basin is the Fergana Basin
The most potential area of the Syr Darya Basin is undoubtedly the Fergana Basin. Usually the part of the Syr Darya River in the Fergana Basin is defined as the upper reaches of the river, where the water is heavily used for irrigation. After flowing out of the Fergana Basin, the Syr Darya River did not continue to flow along the northern foothills of the Turkic Mountains, but turned a nearly 90-degree bend to the north, along the pre-mountain lowlands on the west side of the Fergana Basin, in a northwesterly direction, in an arc towards the Karatau Mountains. Just before entering the Karatau watershed, the Syr Darya river once again corrected its direction to the north, turning a 90-degree bend. The section of the Syr Darya River between these two 90-degree bends is designated as the middle reaches.
Map of the Syr Darya River system
This change is not surprising, in terms of orientation and the size of the catchment area, the situation on the northeast side of the Kyzyl Basin is significantly better than that of the Turkestan Mountains on the southwest side. It is in the context of this "wind and water" relationship, and under the constant guidance of the westward flow of the Kumara Mountains, Chatkar Mountains, Taras Mountains, and Karatau Mountains, which are clearly dominant in volume, that the main stream of the Syr Darya River shifts its flow direction to the east with two nearly 90-degree turns. The geographical relationship between the middle and lower reaches of the Syr Darya River and the mountains on both sides also greatly affects the geological structure of the entire plate. This is manifested in the eastern bank of the Syr Darya River, especially in the middle reaches of the region where tributaries can be replenished from the Taras Mountains and the southern mountains to which oasis agricultural areas are more likely to form.
Tashkent, bred in the Chilchik Valley, a tributary of the middle reaches of the Syr Darya River, is located at the node of the ancient Silk Road
Of these tributary valleys, the most important river is the Chilchik River. The important city of the Chilchik Valley is Tashkent, the capital of what is now Uzbekistan. In fact, from the perspective of a single agricultural condition and population potential, Tashkent and its surrounding right bank areas in the middle reaches of the Syr Darya River are inferior to the Fergana Basin. But Tashkent was able to compete among Uzbekistan's inner cities because of its location at the node of the ancient Silk Road in the northern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains (Vader mentioned earlier that another important node of the ancient Silk Road: the City of Broken Leaves in the Chu River Basin). At the same time, in the westernmost part of Uzbekistan's territory, as far as the Aral Sea, the Amu Darya Delta, Tashkent is at the center of Uzbekistan's east-west depth. It is also this cross-formed location advantage that has created Tashkent's status as the capital. It is also the place where Turkic nomads such as Gelulu operate, and according to Chinese historical records, the shiguo jiandu of the nine surnames of Zhaowu is today's Tashkent. That's why we see today why the capital of Uzbekistan is Tashkent on the Uha-Kha border.
Schematic diagram of the division of the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Syr Darya River
If the Syr Darya River was able to see a relatively dense agricultural oasis area on its right bank when it turned the first bend, it was already inadequate when the Syr Darya Turned the second 90 degree bend and began to receive supplies from the Karatau Mountains. In terms of the altitude and volume of the Karatau Mountains, it is no longer enough to provide decent fresh water supplies for the Syr Darya River. This is also the reason why the middle and lower reaches of the Syr Darya River are tortuous and often diverted, with some waterways disappearing into the desert during the dry season and overflowing low banks during the flood season. But the Karatau Mountains are also the last hope of the Syr Darya Before it flows into the Aral Sea. In the future journey, the Syr Darya River is destined to move forward alone in the Kyzyl Desert. If enough fresh water had not been collected in the middle and upper reaches, the Syr Darya would not have had the opportunity to pool a huge Aral Lake with the Amu Darya river after a quarter of the natural loss (evaporation, infiltration).
Map of water consumption in the Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers
Although the precipitation situation in the southwestern foothills of the Karatau Mountains is not optimistic, and it is difficult to form a decent agricultural oasis along the northeast edge of the Kyzylkum Desert with almost no tributaries along the way, the area between the Karatau Mountains and the Syr Darya River has some advantages over the downstream areas that stretch alone in the desert. The arid and somewhat topographical rain-fed environment allows the Karatau Mountains and the Syr Darya River to be partially resisted by the invasion of the Kyzylkum Desert, forming a triangular desert steppe belt. The middle and lower reaches of the river have also become one of the important irrigated agricultural areas in Kazakhstan on the Syr Darya River, with an irrigation area of 2.2 million hectares, but it is also because of the large amount of irrigation water, coupled with the dry climate in the middle and lower reaches of the river, and no tributaries, that the amount of water injected into the aral sea by the Syr Darya River has decreased year by year, and the salt water surface has been shrinking.
The steppe in the southwestern foothills of the Karatau Mountains was a springboard for the Kazakhs to attack the middle reaches of the Syr Darya River
For the nomadic tribes that infiltrated southward from the Kazakh hills, it also meant that they were the last springboard to continue their advance before further infiltrating the foothills of the Tianshan Mountains and attacking the mountain-front oasis city-states in the middle reaches of the Syr Darya River. In fact, in the history of the Kazakh Khanate, the city of "Turkestan" was also built here. It was only when in 1678 the Dzungar Khanate occupied all the pre-mountain oases (including Tashkent) between the Syr Darya River and the Irtysh River, and tried to continue to infiltrate along the Syr Darya river into the hinterland of the Middle Jades. The right bank of the lower Syr Darya River, centered on the city of Turkestan, was also the focal point of the Kazakh and Dzungar game. Of course, that's another story.
What the future holds for the Syr Darya: Hydraulicists say it will disappear, historians say it will live forever
As the "mother river of Central Asia", the Syr Darya River, consumed all the way from the South Tianshan Mountains, and finally injected into the Aral Sea, not only shouldering the agricultural irrigation along the coast, but also responsible for hydropower generation, after "bowing down", the Syr Darya River also made itself seriously "shrink" because of "overwork", which directly triggered the "disaster" of the Aral Sea.
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