The
Amu River (archaic
Oxus River) is a major river in
Central Asia. Its name is sometimes represented in a single word,
"Amudarya" –
Tajik ??????? or ????? ??? -
Omudaryo or
daryoi Omu,
Persian ??????? -
Âmudaryâ,
Uzbek Amudaryo,
Turkmen Amyderýa, with
darya (
Pahlavi) meaning
sea or a very large
river;
Pashto ? ??? ????? - d? Amu Daryab. It is formed by the junction of the
Vakhsh and
Panj rivers.
Amu is said to have come from the city of Amul, now known as Türkmenabat. Many local people refer to the river as Jayhoun (?????) (Ceyhun in Turkish) which was thought to be a derivative of Gihon, the biblical name for one of the four rivers of the Garden of Eden or paradise.[2] The river is also known by this name to most of the medieval Islamic writers.
In classical antiquity, the river was known as the Oxus in Latin and ???? Oxos in Greek — a clear derivative of Vakhsh — the name of the largest tributary of the Amu. It was known as ????? - Ji?hu?n or Gihun in ancient Arabic sources. Jayhun was likely influenced by Dgihun, the traditional name given to it by the people who inhabited its surrounding region.[3]
In Vayu Purana and Matsya Purana, the Oxus is mentioned as the river Chakshu, flowing through the countries of Tusharas (Rishikas?), Lampakas, Pahlavas, Paradas and Shakas etc.
