Euphrates
From ArticleWorld
The Euphrates is the western river of the two most important rivers that flows across Iraq. The other one is Tigris. Though Euphrates is a major river, navigation is possible only with shallow boats as the river is not very deep.
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Course
The Euphrates River is 2,780 km long. It is formed by the confluence of the two rivers Kara and Murat in Turkey. The Kara River arises from the eastern parts of Turkey near Erzurum and the Murat River arises to the south of Mount Ararat. The river flows through Turkey, Syria and Iraq. In Turkey, it flows through deep valleys. Ii is joined by Khabur and Balikh rivers in Syria. In Iraq it is joined by Tigris River near the city of Basra. Near Basra, it divides to form marshlands before draining in to the Persian Sea. It is also linked with Tigris River by an 885 km long canal to aid navigation.
Historical aspects
The Euphrates is linked to different civilizations and empires. The Sumerian Civilization of 4000 BC flourished on the banks of this river. Some of the empires on the banks of this river were
- Babylonian Empire
- Roman Empire
- Assyrian Empire
- Egyptian Empire
- Persian Empire.
Religious aspects
The EupharatesRiver have been mentioned by Muhammad in Islam and also in the Bible. Muhammad had said that the river would dry exposing treasures which would lead to war. The Bible quotes that Euphrates flows out of the Garden of Eden along with three other rivers. It also says that the river would dry and result in the final war.
Controversies
- Saddam Hussein drained the marshes in 1990s to drive the rebels out which resulted in disturbance of the ecosystem.
- A number of dams are being built across the river raising issues of the rights over the river. One such project is the South eastern Anatolia Project of Turkey in which 22 dams and 19 power plants were built in 2005.