Zarafshan River (also Zaravshan or Zarafshon, , , from the Persian word zar-afshan, , meaning "the spreader of gold") is a river in Central Asia. Its name, "spreader of gold" in Persian, refers to the presence of gold-bearing sands in the upper reaches of the river. To the ancient Greeks it was known as the Polytimetus. It was also formerly known as Sughd River.