VARDAR

The 'Vardar' or 'Axios' (Slavic languages 'Вардар', Greek 'Ἀξιός' = 'Aksiós' (or 'Βαρδάρης'), Latin 'Axius') is the longest river in the Republic of Macedonia and a major river of Greece. It is 388 kilometres long, and drains an area of around 25,000 km².
The river begins at Vrutok, a few kilometers north of Gostivar in the Republic of Macedonia. It passes through Gostivar, Skopje and into Veles, crosses the Greek border near Gevgelija, Polykastro and Axioupoli ("town on the Axiós"), before flowing into the Aegean Sea in Central Macedonia west of Thessaloniki in northern Greece.
The Vardar basin includes two-thirds of the territory of the Republic of Macedonia, which some have also called "Vardar Macedonia" after the river.
The valley comprises fertile lands in the Kilkis and Thessaloniki prefectures and Gevgelija and other parts. The river is surrounded by mountains elsewhere. The superhighways Greece Interstate 1 in Greece and M1 and E75 run within the valley along the river's entire length to near Skopje.
The river valley has given its name to the ''vardháris'' or ''vardarec'', a northerly prevailing ravine wind which blows down the length of the valley to bring cold conditions to the Thessaloniki area of Greece. It occurs when atmospheric pressure over eastern Europe is higher than over the Aegean Sea, as is often the case in winter. It is somewhat similar to the mistral wind of France.

Contents

Etymology

Other meanings

Songs

People Name

References

External links

See also

Etymology

★ The most accepted theory on the origin of the name derives ''Bardários'' from the Thracian language, from PIE
★ ''(s)wordo-wori-'', "black water" ^[1] (cf. German ''schwarz'' "black", Latin ''suāsum'' "dirt", Ossetian ''xuaræn'' "color", Farsi ''xvāl'' "lampblack", Old Irish ''sorb'' "stain, dirt" ^[2]). This can be considered a translation or similar meaning of ''Axios'', itself Thracian for "not-shining" from PIE
★ ''n.-sk(e)i'' (cf. Avestan ''axšaēna'' "dark-colored")^[3], and found in another name at the mouth of the Danube, ''Axíopa'' "dark water", renamed in Slavic ''Cernavoda'' "black water" ^[4]. The name ''Bardários'' (Βαρδάριος) was sometimes used by the Ancient Greeks in the 3rd Century BCE; the same name was widely used during Byzantine era.

★ Other Iranianist theories on the origin of the name would have that it date back to the Persian occupation of Macedonia. In an Old Iranian, ''var-darya'' might have meant "open river". A similar Iranian etymon ''bar darya'' "long river" has been proposed, but is just as unconvincing.

★ There are various exegetic theories for Slavic or Turkish roots for the name, but they are highly unlikely, as Slavs arrived in Macedonia 900 years after the first recorded use of the word, and Turks arrived in the region another 700 years later.

Other meanings

Vardar is also the name of three football (soccer) clubs - one in Skopje, one in Melbourne and another in Clarkston, Michigan.

Songs

"'Vardar Ovası, Vardar Ovası; Kazanamadım sıla parası'" Turkish Rumelia Songs. "'Oj, Vardare makedonski"' macedonian song.

People Name

★ Ahmet Vardar is a famous newspaper writer in Turkey.

★ Vardari Yakup Ağa Barbarossa Hayrettin's father.

References

1. Orel, Vladimir. ''A Handbook of Germanic Etymology''. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill, 2003: 392.
2. Mallory, J.P. and D.Q. Adams. ''Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture''. London: Fitzroy and Dearborn, 1997: 147
3. ibid, p. 146
4. Katičic', Radoslav. ''Ancient Languages of the Balkans''. Paris: Mouton, 1976: 149

External links

★ See Pre_Slavic_place_names.zip, page 33, for Vardar etymology

★ Morava - Vardar (Axios) Navigation Route , PIM "Ivan Milutinović", Belgrade, Serbia

See also

★ Great Morava

★ P%C4%8Dinja River