Simav River


The Simav or Susurluk River is a river in Anatolian Turkey. Its course is 321 km long and its basin comprises 22 400 km2. It was the classical Macestus. In the 19th century, it was known as the Mikalick.
The Simav has its source in Kütahya Province, from which it flows north across the plain of Simav into Balıkesir Province. There is a reservoir at the Çaygören Dam, out of which the Simav flows past Susurluk and meets the Adirnaz. During the classical period, the Macestus was a tributary of the Rhyndacus, but today the Simav forms the main course from their confluence near Karacabey down to the Sea of Marmara. Along the way, it meets the Nilüfer River.
Its mouth faces the island of Imrali, a high-security prison.