The Raška is a river in southwestern Serbia

Serbia

Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

, a 60 km-long left tributary to the Ibar

Ibar River

The Ibar is a river that flows through eastern Montenegro and Serbia, with a total length of . The river begins in the Hajla mountain, eastern Montenegro, passes through Kosovo and flows into the West Morava river, Central Serbia, near Kraljevo....

 river.

Its historical name is Arzon (Αρζον).

The Raška originates from a strong well and several sinking streams flowing out from the cave south of the Sopoćani

Sopocani

The Sopoćani monastery , an endowment of King Stefan Uroš I of Serbia, was built in the second half of the 13th century, near the source of the Raška River in the region of Ras, the centre of the Serbian medieval state. It is World Heritage Site, added in 1979 with Stari Ras...

 monastery, in the Pešter

Pešter

thumb|right|[[Northern Lapwing]]Pešter or Pešterska visoravan is a karst plateau in southwestern Serbia, in the Raška region. It lies at the altitude of 900–1200 meters. The territory of the plateau is mostly located in the municipality of Sjenica, with parts belonging to Novi Pazar and Tutin...

 region. Waters of the well and the sinking streams flowing from the Koštan-Polje are gathered into the catchment which enabled construction of the small subterranean hydro electrical power plant Ras (6 MW).

The Raška flows northward during entire of its flow and receives at the village of Pazarište the Sebečevačka reka from the right, between the villages of Dojeviće and Vatevo much longer Ljutska reka from the left and Jošanica from the right at the town of Novi Pazar

Novi Pazar

Novi Pazar is a city and municipality located in southwest Serbia, in the Raška District. According to the official census in 2011, number of inhabitants of municipality is 92,776, while the city itself has a population of 60,638...

, the most populous settlement on the river's course.

As it enters the Raška

Raška (region)

Raška is a region in south-central Serbia and northern Montenegro. It is mostly situated in the Raška District. The southern part of Raška is also known as Sandžak and is divided between Serbia and Montenegro....

 oblast, eastern part of the much larger Stari Vlah

Stari Vlah

Stari Vlah is a historic and geographical region in Southwestern Serbia.-Geography:Stari Vlah contains 7 municipalities of Serbia: Priboj, Nova Varoš, Prijepolje, Užice, Ivanjica, Čajetina, and Arilje...

-Raška Region of the southwest Serbia, the river flows next to the old Petrova church

Petrova church

The Church of St. Apostles Peter and Paul , also known as Church of Peter is a Serbian Orthodox church, the oldest intact church in Serbia and one of the oldest ones in the region, situated on a hill of Ras, the medieval capital of the Serbian Grand Principality , near Novi Pazar, Serbia. It is...

 church and Novi Pazar

Novi Pazar

Novi Pazar is a city and municipality located in southwest Serbia, in the Raška District. According to the official census in 2011, number of inhabitants of municipality is 92,776, while the city itself has a population of 60,638...

's suburbs of Banja and Postenje

Postenje

Postenje is a village situated in Novi Pazar municipality in Serbia....

. The lower course is not densely populated, except for the villages of Požežina

Požežina

Požežina is a village situated in Novi Pazar municipality in Serbia....

 and Milatkoviće

Milatkoviće

Milatkoviće is a village in the municipality of Raška, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 161 people.-References:...

. Finally, the river reaches the town of Raška

Raška (town)

Raška is a town and municipality in south-central Serbia. Municipality has a population of 24,680 people, while the town has a population of 6,574 people . It covers an area of 670 square kilometers. The town is situated on rivers Raška and Ibar.- External links :*...

 and its suburb of Supnje

Supnje

Supnje is a village in the municipality of Raška, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 3525 people.-References:...

, where it empties into the Ibar

Ibar River

The Ibar is a river that flows through eastern Montenegro and Serbia, with a total length of . The river begins in the Hajla mountain, eastern Montenegro, passes through Kosovo and flows into the West Morava river, Central Serbia, near Kraljevo....

 river.

The Raška drains an area of 1,193 km², belongs to the Black Sea

Black Sea

The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...

 drainage basin

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

and it is not navigable.