Aras

River rising in northeastern Turkey and flowing east through Armenia and Azerbaijan to the Caspian Sea; length 1,100 km/660 mi.

Artaxata, the ancient capital of Armenia, was situated on the river about 30 km/20 mi southeast of modern Yerevan. At that time the river was navigable and served as a trade route into Asia Minor from the Caspian Sea and the River Cyrus (modern Kur). Since 1897 the Aras has been turbulent and fast-flowing, and enters the Caspian Sea independently. It corresponds to the river that Xenophon called the Phasis; what he called the Araxes is probably the Khabur in Syria.