Euphrates
The
Euphrates (the traditional
Greek name,
Arabic: الفرات;
Al-Furat,
Hebrew: פְּרָת;
Perath,
Kurdish:
Firat,
Old Persian:
Ufrat,
Syriac:
ܦܪܘܬ or
ܦܪܬ;
Frot or
Prâth,
Turkish:
Fırat,
Akkadian:
Pu-rat-tu) is the westernmost of the two great rivers that define
Mesopotamia (the other being the
Tigris).
The name
Euphrates may have originated from
Old Persian Ufratu, as it were from
Avestan *hu-perethuua, meaning "good to cross over" (from
hu-, meaning "good", and
peretu, meaning "ford")[
1].Alternatively, some suggest that the name Euphrates is possibly of
Kurdish origin. In Kurdish,
fere means "wide",
re means "flowing water" and
hat is "flowing", giving
fererehat, meaning "wide flowing water". The modern Kurdish name,
Ferat, is possibly a reduction of the older name. However, the Indo-European etymology of the name is put into doubt by the
Sumerian and
Akkadian names for the Euphrates are
Buranun and
Pu-rat-tu, respectively,
Buranun being attested in an inscription associated with king
Gudea (
22nd century BC). It seems thus likely that the Old Persian name arose by
popular etymology based on the pre-Iranian name of the river.
The river is approximately 2,780 kilometers (1,730 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
Erzurum and the
Murat (the eastern Euphrates), which issues from an area southwest of
Mount Ararat, north of
Lake Van. The upper reaches of the Euphrates flow through steep canyons and gorges, southeast across
Syria, and through
Iraq. The
Khabur and the
Balikh River join the Euphrates in eastern Syria.
 |
Boat on the Shatt-al-Arab |
Both rivers have their origins in Turkey. Downstream, through its whole length, the Euphrates receives no further water flow. North of
Basra, in southern Iraq, the river merges with the Tigris to form the
Arvand/Shatt al-Arab, this 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 1,930 kilometers (1,200 miles) upstream and which is only 53 meters (58 yards) above sea level. Above Hit, however, shoals and rapids make the river commercially unnavigable. Its annual inundation, caused by snowmelt in the mountains of northeastern Turkey, has been partly checked by new dams and reservoirs in the upper reaches. A 885 kilometer (550-mile) canal links the Euphrates to the Tigris to serve as a route for river barges.
The river Euphrates is one of the four rivers that flow from the
Garden of Eden according to
Genesis 2:14. It is the fourth river, after the
Pishon, the
Gihon, and the
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).
The word Euphrates is a translation for the word "Gush forth" or "break forth". It has always been assumed to mean "river" but this is not explicitly stated. It literally means "breaking forth of liquid". The river Euphrates was named from this root word, "To gush forth".
In the
Book of Revelation, it is prophesied that in the "
near future the Potamos Euphrates or "breaking forth like water" of the middle east will dry up in preparation for the
Battle of Armageddon.
In
Islam, some of the
hadiths of the Prophet
Muhammad, suggest that the Euphrates will dry up, revealing unknown treasures that will be the cause of strife and war.
Soon the river Euphrates will disclose the treasure [the mountain] of gold. So, whoever will be present at that time should not take anything of it. "
Sahih Bukhari.
*The Prophet Muhammad said: "The Hour will not come to pass before the river Euphrates dries up to unveil the mountain of gold, for which people will fight. Ninety-nine out of one hundred will die [in the fighting], and every man among them will say: 'Perhaps I may be the only one to remain alive'.
" " Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim.
*The Prophet Muhammad said: "The Euphrates reveals the treasures within itself. Whoever sees it should not take anything from it". " Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi `Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 28.
It [the Euphrates] will uncover a mountain of gold [under it]. "
Sunan Abi Da'ud.
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,
Shuruppak,
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 and western regions of the
Persian Empire.
As with the Tigris there is much controversy over rights and use of the river. The
Southeastern Anatolia 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
Tabaqah Dam (completed in
1973 and sometimes known simply as the Euphrates Dam) 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 come 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.
*
Cradle of Humanity*
List of places in Iraq*
Tigris-Euphrates alluvial salt marsh*
Bibliography on Water Resources and International Law See
Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. Peace Palace Libray
*
Jewish Encyclopedia: Euphrates; discusses the Old Testament references to the river
*
Tigris-Euphrates River dispute, details of conflict and cooperation
*
The Turkish National Policy for Utilizing the Waters of Euphrates-Tigris Basin (THE THREE-STAGED PLAN) 
