| Gediz River | |
|---|---|
 Gediz River in its downstream section crossingİzmir Province | |
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| Location | |
| Country | Turkey |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Mount Murat |
| • location | Kütahya Province |
| Mouth | Gediz River Delta |
• location | Foça,İzmir Province |
• coordinates | 38°35′18″N26°48′57″E / 38.58833°N 26.81583°E /38.58833; 26.81583 |
| Length | 401 km (249 mi) |
TheGediz River (Turkish:Gediz Nehri,Turkish pronunciation:[ˈɡediz]) is the second-longest river inAnatolia flowing into theAegean Sea. From its source ofMount Murat inKütahya Province, it flows generally west for 401 km (249 mi) to theGediz River Delta in theGulf of İzmir.
The ancient Greek name of the river was Hermos (Ἕρμος), Latinized as Hermus.
The name of the river Gediz may be related to theLydian proper name Cadys; Gediz is also the name of a town near the river's sources.[1] The name "Gediz" may also be encountered as a male given name in Turkey.
The Gediz is one of the two candidates for theHittite placenameSeha River, the other being theBakırçay.[2]
The Hermos separatedAeolia fromIonia, except for IonicPhocaea, which was north of the Hermos. The valley of the Hermos was the heartland of the ancientLydian Empire and overlooking the valley was the Lydian capitalSardis.
InTurkey'sAegean Region, Gediz River's length is second only toBüyük Menderes River whose flow is roughly parallel at a distance of slightly more than a hundred kilometers to the south.
Gediz River rises fromMurat Mountain andŞaphane Mountain inKütahya Province and flows throughUşak,Manisa andİzmir Provinces. It joins the sea in the northern section of theGulf of İzmir, close to the gulf's mouth, near the village of Yenibağarası inFoça district, south of the center of the district.
The Gediz Basin lies between northern latitudes of 38°04’–39°13’ and southern longitudes of 26°42’–29°45’. It covers 2.2% of the total area of Turkey. Larger part of the alluvial plain called under the same name as the river (Gediz Plain) is within the area of Manisa Province and a smaller downstream section within İzmir Province.
TheGediz Delta is important as a nature reserve and is home to rare bird species.[3] However, the reserve suffers from water shortages due to heavy demands from irrigation projects, connected to theDemirköprü Dam.[4]
High level of urbanization and industrialization along its basin have caused the Gediz River to suffer severe pollution, particularly by sand and gravel quarries and the discharge ofeffluents from the leather industry. These factors contributed to the river's formerly rich fish reserves to become a thing of the past in recent years.
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