Sazliyka
| Sazliyka | |
|---|---|
The Sazliyka south of Kaloyanovets | |
| Location | |
| Country | Bulgaria |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Sredna Gora |
| • coordinates | 42°30′51.12″N 25°23′35.12″E / 42.5142000°N 25.3930889°E |
| • elevation | 651 m (2,136 ft) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Maritsa |
• coordinates | 42°1′50.88″N 25°52′27.84″E / 42.0308000°N 25.8744000°E |
• elevation | 78 m (256 ft) |
| Length | 145 km (90 mi) |
| Basin size | 3,239 km2 (1,251 sq mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Maritsa→ Aegean Sea |
The Sazliyka or Rakitnitsa (Bulgarian: Сазлийка, pronounced [sɐzˈlijkɐ]; also transliterated Sazlijka or Sazliika) is a river in southeastern Bulgaria, a left tributary of the Maritsa. It originates in the Sarnena Sredna Gora mountain range. In its upper course until Radnevo, it is also known as the Rakitnitsa or Syuyutliyka. The river is 145 kilometres in length and is the fifth longest in the Maritsa drainage, following the Tundzha (390 km), the Arda (290 km), the Ergene (281 km) and the Topolnitsa (155 km).
The name is thought to be derived from the Ottoman Turkish saz, "bulrush", with a Bulgarian feminine suffix. The name of its upper course, Syuyutliyka, is also from a Turkish root, söğüt, "osier", while Rakitnitsa is its Bulgarian translation, the equivalent word for "osier" being rakita.