The MureÃÂ () or Maros (; , ) is a river in Eastern Europe. Its drainage basin covers an area of . It originates in the HÃÂÃÂmaÃÂu Mare Range in the Eastern Carpathian Mountains, Romania, rising close to the headwaters of the river Olt, and joins the Tisza at Szeged in southeastern Hungary. In Romania, its length is and its basin size is .
The MureàRiver flows through the Romanian counties Harghita, MureÃÂ, Alba, Hunedoara, Arad and TimiÃÂ, and the Hungarian county Csongrád. The largest cities on the MureÃÂ/Maros are Târgu MureÃÂ, Alba Iulia, Deva and Arad in Romania as well as Makó and Szeged in Hungary.
The Hungarian reaches of the MureÃÂ/Maros are long as the state border. Some on the northern side of the river are protected as part of the Körös-Maros National Park. The Maros Floodplain Protected Area consists of gallery forests, floodplain meadows and of forest reserve near Szeged.
Salt used to be traded in medieval times on the river on large rafts.
The river is known to be first mentioned by Herodotus in 485 BC bearing the name Maris (ÃÂìÃÂùÃÂ). Strabo calls it Marisos (ÃÂìÃÂùÃÂÿÃÂ). It was known in Latin as the '; the Mureàis also mentioned, as Morisis (ÃÂÿÃÂîÃÂ÷ÃÂ), in a document of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII, in 948 AD.
It was also known in German variously as the ', ' or ', owing to Transylvanian Saxon settlements and prior Habsburg rule. It was known in Turkish as the ' or ' under the Ottomans.
Since ancient times, the MureÃÂ River has been a heavily used waterway for both commercial traffic and strategic purposes, becoming a veritable highway for the area north of the Danube.
Ever since the Dacian-Roman wars, control of the MureÃÂ River has been one of the key military maneuvers that the Roman army sought to achieve in order to gain an advantage over the defensive system of the Dacian Kingdom.
Thus, during the military operations at the beginning of Trajan's Second Dacian War, it is assumed that the vexillatio formed by the troops of Pannonia Inferior, led by Aelius Hadrianus (who would later become Emperor Hadrian), then governor of Pannonia, advanced deep into the heart of Dacia via the MureàValley, probably using the river fleet â the Classis Flavia Pannonica â as well. The existence of a collegium nautarum in Apulum is an indication that those involved in water transport in Roman times were quite numerous. All raw materials: gold, iron, salt, wood, were exported to Rome and other western provinces by water. The lack of salt in the neighboring Roman provinces (the two Pannoniae and the two Moesiae) is a good argument to explain the regularity of this massive export on the MureàRiver.This fact, together with the high density of civilian habitation (through the two cities) and the presence of the legion and the governor of Dacia at Apulum, makes this the most important civilian river port in Roman Dacia. In fact, this is where the Mureàriver highway (which connected Partiscum with the road from Lugio) intersected with the main imperial road of the province of Dacia, which crossed the most important cities north of the Danube: Dierna - Tibiscum - Ulpia Traiana - Apulum - Potaissa - Napoca - Porolissum.
The following towns are situated along the river MureÃÂ, from source to mouth: TopliÃÂa, Reghin, Târgu MureÃÂ, LuduÃÂ, Ocna MureÃÂ, Aiud, TeiuÃÂ, Alba Iulia, Geoagiu, OrÃÂÃÂtie, Simeria, Deva, Lipova, Arad, NÃÂdlac (all in Romania), Makó, Szeged (both in Hungary).
The MureÃÂ flows through the following communes (grouped by counties, from source to mouth):
The following rivers are tributaries to the river MureÃÂ (from source to mouth):
Left: CÃÂrbunele Negru, Senetea, FierÃÂstrÃÂul, ÃÂumuleul Mare, Borzontul Mare, Borzontul Mic, Pietrosul, Bacta, LimbuÃÂ, Piatra, Eseniu, Martonca, Calnaci, MuscÃÂ, GÃÂlÃÂuÃÂaÃÂ, ZÃÂpodea, MÃÂgheruÃÂ, MÃÂrÃÂineÃÂul de Sus, Gudea Mare, SÃÂlard, Iod, Borzia, SebeÃÂ, FiÃÂcÃÂu, Idicel, Deleni, Gurghiu, Mocear, Beica, Habic, Petrilaca, Valea cu Nuci, Terebici, PocloÃÂ, Budiu, Niraj, Pârâul Mare, LÃÂscud, SÃÂrata, ÃÂeulia, Valea Luncilor, AÃÂintiÃÂ, GÃÂbud, FÃÂrÃÂu, Ciunga, Pusta BÃÂgÃÂului, Rât, Târnava, HÃÂpria, SebeÃÂ, Pianul, Cioara, Cugir, Vaidei, Romos, OrÃÂÃÂtie, TurdaÃÂ, Strei, Tâmpa, Cerna, Herepeia, CÃÂoi, Vulcez, LeÃÂnic, SÃÂcÃÂmaÃÂ, Plai, Dobra, Abucea, Valea Mare, SÃÂlciva, PeÃÂtiÃÂ, CÃÂprioriÃÂca, SomoniÃÂa, BirchiÃÂ, Izvor, Corbul, Fiac, SuliniÃÂ, LalaÃÂinÃÂ, Chelmac, Pârâul Mare, ÃÂiÃÂtarovÃÂÃÂ, ÃÂârnobara, SinicoÃÂ, Valea FâneÃÂelor de Jos, ZÃÂdÃÂrlac, and ZÃÂdÃÂreni
Right: Chindeni, Arinul Scurt, Chirtoegher, Strâmba, Pârâul Noroios, Belcina, LÃÂzarea, GhiduÃÂ, DitrÃÂu, Faier, Jolotca, Filipea, SÃÂrmaÃÂ, Ciucic, TopliÃÂa, CÃÂlimÃÂnel, Mermezeu, Zebrac, Neagra, Ilva, Obcina Ferigelor (Fântânel), RÃÂstoliÃÂa, GÃÂlÃÂoaia, Bistra, PietriÃÂ, Dumbrava, Râpa, AgriÃÂ, Lueriu, LuÃÂ, ÃÂar, Voiniceni, CuieÃÂd, Valea FânaÃÂelor, ÃÂÃÂuÃÂa, Valea din Jos, LechinÃÂa, Ranta, Pârâul de Câmpie, Grindeni, ArieÃÂ, Unirea, Ciugud, OrmeniÃÂ, MirÃÂslÃÂu, Lopadea, Aiud, Gârbova, Geoagiu (Alba), Galda, Ampoi, PâcliÃÂa, Valea VinÃÂului, Blandiana, StâniÃÂoara, BÃÂcÃÂinÃÂi, Homorod, Geoagiu (Hunedoara), Boiul, Bobâlna, Valea lui Sânpetru, Lazu, VÃÂrmaga, Certej, Boholt, CÃÂian, Bejan, Boz, Sârbi, BÃÂciÃÂoara, Gurasada, Zam, AlmaÃÂ, PetriÃÂ, CrÃÂciuneasca, TroaÃÂ, VineÃÂti, Stejar, JuliÃÂa, Valea Mare, Grosul, MonoroÃÂtia, Bârzava, NadÃÂÃÂ, Conop, Cornic, Milova, Jernova, ÃÂoimoÃÂ, Radna, Cladova, Crac, and Száraz-ér