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The '''Euphrates''' (the traditional Greek name for the river, which is in
Aramaic ''Frot/Frat,''
Old Persian ''Ufrat'', in
Arabic الفرات, in
Turkish ''Fırat'' and in ancient
Assyrian language ''Pu-rat-tu'') is the westernmost of the two great rivers that define
Mesopotamia (
Bethnahrin in
Aramaic), the other being the
Tigris.
==Course of the Euphrates==
The river is approximately 2,780 km (1,700 miles) long. It is formed by the union of two branches, the
Kara (the western Euphrates), which rises in the highlands of eastern Turkey north of
Erzerum and the
Murat (the eastern Euphrates), which issues from
Lake Van. The upper reaches of the Euphrates flow through steep canyons and gorges then southwest across
Syria and then through
Iraq. The
Khabur and the
Balikh River join the Euphrates in eastern Syria. They both have their origins in Turkey. Downstream, through its whole length, the Euphrates receives no further water flow. Below
Basra in southern Iraq the river merges with the Tigris to form the
Shatt al-Arab, which in turn empties into the
Persian Gulf.
The river used to divide into many channels at Basra, forming an extensive marshland, but the marshes were largely drained by the
Saddam Hussein government in the
1990s as a means of driving out the rebellious
Marsh Arabs. Since the
2003 invasion of Iraq, the drainage policy has been reversed, but it remains to be seen whether the marshes will recover.
The Euphrates is only navigable by very shallow-draft boats, which can reach as far as the Iraqi city of
Hit, located 1,200 miles upstream and which is only 53 meters above sea level. Above Hit, however, shoals and rapids make the river commercially unnavigable. Its annual inundation, caused by snowmelt in the mountains of Armenia, has been partly checked by new dams and reservoirs in the upper reaches. A 550-mile canal links the Euphrates to the Tigris to serve as a route for river barges.
==Euphrates in the Bible==
The river Euphrates is one of the four rivers that flow from the
Garden of Eden according to
Book of Genesis 2:14. It is the fourth river, after
Pishon,
Gihon, and
Tigris, to form from the river flowing out of the garden. The river also marked one of the boundaries of the land promised by
God to
Abraham and his descendants. In the Hebrew Bible it is often referred to simply as "The River" (''ha-nahar'').
In the
Book of Revelation attributed to
John, it is prophesied that in the "
end times" the river will dry up in preparation for the
Battle of Armageddon.
==Euphrates in history==
The Euphrates provided the water that led to the first flowering of civilisation in
Sumeria, dating from about the
4th millennium BC. Many important ancient cities were located on or near the riverside, including
Mari,
Sippar,
Nippur,
Shurrupak,
Uruk,
Ur and
Eridu. The river valley formed the heartlands of the later empires of
Babylonia and
Assyria. For several centuries the river formed the eastern limit of effective
Egyptian and
Roman control.
==Controversial issues==
As with the Tigris there is much controversy over rights and use of the river. The Southeast Anatolia Development Project in Turkey involves the construction of 22 dams and 19 power plants by
2005, the biggest development project ever undertaken by Turkey. The first of the dams was completed in
1990. Southeast Turkey is still struggling economically, adding fuel to the discontent expressed by Turkey's
Kurdish minority centered there. The Turkish authorities hope that the project will provide a boost to the region's economy, but domestic and foreign critics have disputed its benefits as well as attacking the social and environmental costs of the scheme.
In Syria the Tabqa Dam (completed in
1973) forms a reservoir, Lake Assad, that is used for irrigating cotton. Syria has dammed its two tributaries and is constructing another dam. Iraq has seven dams in operation, but water control lost priority during Saddam Hussein's regime. Since the collapse of Ba'ath Iraq in
2003, water use has comes once again to the fore. The scarcity of water in the Middle East leaves Iraq in constant fear that Syria and Turkey will use up most of the water before it reaches Iraq. As it is, irrigation in southern Iraq leaves little water to join the Tigris at the Shatt-al-Arab.
==See also==
*
Cradle of Humanity
*
List of places in Iraq
*
Tigris-Euphrates alluvial salt marsh
==External links==
*
''Jewish Encyclopedia'': Euphrates; discusses the Old Testament references to the river
*
Tigris-Euphrates River dispute, details of conflict and cooperation
*
Turkish presentation of the Euphrates projectar:الفرات
da:Eufrat
de:Euphrat
es:ufrates
eo:Eŭfrato
fr:Euphrate
nl:Eufraat
ja:ユーフラテス川
pl:Eufrat
wa:Ufrate (aiwe)
zh:幼发拉底河
