Euphrates

I

Introduction

Euphrates (Turkish, Firat, Arabic, Al Furāt), river in south-western Asia, rising in Turkey and flowing through Syria and Iraq before emptying in the Persian Gulf by way of the Shatt Al Arab. The Euphrates, along with the Tigris, provided much of the water that supported the development of ancient Mesopotamian culture. (Mesopotamia literally means “between the rivers” in Greek). However, centuries of neglect have relegated it to a comparatively smaller role. Much of the once rich, fertile plain through which the river passes is now barren.

Nevertheless, the Euphrates continues to be an important resource in the region, and its use is the cause of significant political tension. The length of the river is about 2,735 km (1,700 mi), with an average flow of 887,000 litres (195,000 gallons) per second (although seasonal variability is great) from a basin of 444,000 sq km (171,430 sq mi).

II

Course of the Euphrates

The bed of the Euphrates, as it nears the sea, is now a large marshland, overgrown with submarine vegetation. The river is navigable for a distance of about 720 km (450 mi) inland from its mouth by small boats. Although the water level is enhanced by locks and a canal, the depth may drop to as low as 61 cm (24 in) during the dry season, between December and March.

Though less than 30 per cent of the basin is in Turkey, roughly 94 per cent of the water of the Euphrates comes from there, including the flows of the Karasu, the Murat, and other Turkish rivers, which join near Elâzığ to form the upper Euphrates. The Euphrates reaches Syria approximately 120 km (75 mi) north-east of the city of Aleppo (Ḩalab). In Syria it is joined by the River Khābūr, a major tributary whose water rises in south-eastern Turkey and north-eastern Syria.

The course of the Euphrates roughly parallels that of the Tigris; after both rivers cross into Iraq they are never more than 160 km (100 mi) apart. Flowing towards their junction in south-eastern Iraq near Basra, the Euphrates forms the western boundary of the area known as al-Jazirah, or the Island. After its confluence with the Tigris the combined flow is known as the Shatt Al Arab.

III

Role in History

In the Bible the Euphrates is referred to in Genesis 15:18; Deuteronomy 1:7 and 11:24; and Joshua 1:4. Historically, the river is one of the most important in the world. The Tigris-Euphrates Valley was the birthplace of the ancient civilizations of Assyria, Babylonia, and Sumer; the cities of Babylon and Ur were built on the river. For centuries the river formed the eastern limit of Roman control, and during the supremacy of the Eastern Roman Empire (see Byzantine Empire), numerous towns and centres of art and literature flourished along its banks. Much historical data has been yielded by archaeological excavations on the banks of the Tigris and the Euphrates.

IV

International Disputes

The Euphrates played a vital part in the irrigation projects of ancient Mesopotamia. Today the Euphrates is the source of significant political tension for this reason, as Turkey, Syria, and Iraq all compete for the use of its waters, which are used for the generation of hydroelectric power and for irrigation. Turkey is in the midst of a long-term programme for the development of its rural south-east Anatolia region. This project, known as GAP for its Turkish acronym, will divert a significant amount of Euphrates water for local use. To facilitate this and provide water for the region, Turkey has constructed the Ataturk Dam (1990), the world's fourth-largest and named after the founder of modern Turkey.

This is only one of a series of dams that capitalize on the steep descent of the Euphrates from the Anatolian mountains. The reservoir behind the Ataturk Dam covers an area of 815 sq km (315 sq mi); the filling of the lake required a month-long interruption in the flow of the river to impound the waters. The decrease in the flow of the Euphrates is of serious concern to Syria, which has invested heavily in power generation and irrigation from its Euphrates dam (called al-Thawrah, or Revolution Dam) dedicated in 1973. This dam creates a reservoir of 640 sq km (247 sq mi), called Lake Assad after the Syrian president. Power generation from the hydroelectric facility has been adversely affected by the GAP project.

Iraq, in turn, has protested at the use of Euphrates water associated with Syria's project, and war between the two was only narrowly averted in 1975. Agriculture in Iraq, which is carried out in an area of water deficit, is dependent on the supply of water from the river system. Maximum flow into Iraq, which provides approximately 40 per cent of the annual water supply for the region, occurs in the months of April and May. However, fluctuations in flow, whether from month to month or year to year, make Iraqi agriculture particularly vulnerable to drought or supply shortages. The al-Haditha Dam was constructed to provide some water reserve for Iraq, but its utility has been relatively limited.

Since the 1950s a flood control project on the Tigris river has allowed the diversion of water from that basin through the Tharthar Depression and into the Euphrates, but this, too, has been of limited value in solving water supply problems. Iraq also suffers from high salt content in the water, a result of leaching and chemical applications in upstream areas. All three riparian states, Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, will continue their attempts to maximize their use of and access to the Euphrates. The river will thus increasingly be a source of tension and possibly conflict.