 |
| From 2025 09 19 Bukhara |
Today's photo-of-the-day was taken along the banks of the Amu Darya, historically known as the Oxus River. It is the largest river in Central Asia, flowing through Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The oddest thing about the river (to me) is that it doesn't flow anywhere. Not to the ocean. Not even to an inland sea. Because of global warming and, even more, because of insatiable human demand for water for agriculture, today the Amu Darya just peters out in western Uzbekistan. Its mouth is in a dried-up area of what was once the Aral Sea.
This photo shows the desert the Amu Darya flows through. On this side is Uzbekistan. On the far side is Turkmenistan. Uzbekistan welcomes tourists. Turkmenistan, not so much. Signs warn visitors to stay on your side. Such has been life in Central Asia for millennia.
"Ancient Oxus flows,
Carrying mountains to dust.
No sea waits below."
— h/t ChatGPT
No comments:
Post a Comment