Wikipedia

Tigris

For other uses, seeTigris (disambiguation).

TheTigris(/ˈtaɪɡrɪs/TY-griss;seebelow) is the eastern of the two greatriversthat defineMesopotamia,the other being theEuphrates.The river flows south from the mountains of theArmenian Highlandsthrough theSyrianandArabian Deserts,before merging with theEuphratesand reaching to thePersian Gulf.

Tigris
Tigris river inBaghdad
Map of theTigris–Euphrates river system
Location
CountryTurkey,Syria,Iraq
Source regionArmenian Highlands[1]
CitiesElazığ,Diyarbakır,Mosul,Baghdad
Physical characteristics
SourceLake Hazar[2]
• locationGölardı,Turkey
• coordinates38°29′0″N39°25′0″E/ 38.48333°N 39.41667°E/38.48333; 39.41667
• elevation1,150 m (3,770 ft)
MouthShatt al-Arab
• location
Al-Qurnah,Iraq
• coordinates
31°0′18″N47°26′31″E/ 31.00500°N 47.44194°E/31.00500; 47.44194
• elevation
1 m (3.3 ft)
Length1,900 km (1,200 mi)
Basin size375,000 km2(145,000 sq mi)
Discharge
• locationBaghdad
• average1,014 m3/s (35,800 cu ft/s)
• minimum337 m3/s (11,900 cu ft/s)
• maximum2,779 m3/s (98,100 cu ft/s)
Basin features
ProgressionShatt al-Arab→Persian Gulf
River systemTigris–Euphrates river system
Tributaries
• leftGarzan,Botan,Khabur,Greater Zab,Lesser Zab,'Adhaim,Cizre,Diyala
• rightWadi Tharthar
[3][4]
Map
Mosul, on the bank of the Tigris, 1861

The Tigris passes through historical cities likeMosul,Tikrit,Samarra,andBaghdad.It is also home to archaeological sites and ancient religious communities, including theMandaeans,who use it forbaptism.In ancient times, the Tigris nurtured theAssyrian Empire,with remnants like the relief ofKing Tiglath-Pileser.

Today, the Tigris faces modern threats from geopolitical instability, dam projects, poor water management, and climate change, leading to concerns about its sustainability. Efforts to protect and preserve the river's legacy are ongoing, with local archaeologists and activists working to safeguard its future.

Etymology

edit
Bedouin crossing the river Tigris with plunder (c. 1860)

TheAncient GreekformTigris(Τίγρις) is an alternative form ofTígrēs(Τίγρης), which was adapted fromOld Persian𐎫𐎡𐎥𐎼𐎠(Tigrā), itself fromElamiteTigra,itself fromSumerian𒀀𒇉𒈦𒄘𒃼(IdignaorIdigina,probably derived from*id (i)gina"running water" ).[5]The Sumerian term, which can be interpreted as "the swift river", contrasts the Tigris to its neighbour, the Euphrates, whose leisurely pace caused it to deposit moresiltand build up a higher bed than the Tigris. The Sumerian form was borrowed intoAkkadianasIdiqlatand from there into the otherSemitic languages(compareHebrew:חִדֶּקֶל‎,romanized:Ḥîddéqel;Jewish Babylonian Aramaic:דיגלת‎, דיקגלת‎,romanized:diqlāṯordiglāṯ;Classical Syriac:ܕܩܠܬ‎,romanized:Deqlāṯ,Arabic:دِجلَة,romanized:Dijlah).[6][7]

Another name for the Tigris used inMiddle PersianwasArvand Rud,literally "swift river". Today, however,Arvand Rud(Persian:اروندرود) refers to theconfluenceof the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, known in Arabic as theŠaṭṭ al-ʿArab.InKurdish languages,it is known asAva Mezin,"the Great Water".[8]

Mosul,Iraq
Outside ofMosul,Iraq

The name of the Tigris in languages that have been important in the region:

Language Name for Tigris
Akkadian 𒁇𒄘𒃼,Idiqlat
Arabic دِجلَة,Dijlah;حُدَاقِل,Ḥudāqil
Aramaic דיגלת,Diglath
Armenian Տիգրիս,Tigris,Դգլաթ,Dglatʿ
Greek ἡ Τίγρης,-ητος,hē Tígrēs, -ētos;

ἡ, ὁ Τίγρις, -ιδος,hē, ho Tígris, -idos

Hebrew חידקל,Ḥîddéqel,biblicalחִדֶּקֶל‎,Ḥiddeqel[9]
Hurrian Aranzah[10]
Persian Old Persian:𐎫𐎡𐎥𐎼𐎠Tigrā;Middle Persian:Tigr;Persian:دجلهDejle
Sumerian 𒁇𒄘𒃼Idigna/Idigina
Syriac ܕܸܩܠܵܬܼDeqlaṯ
Turkish Dicle
Kurdish Dîcle, Dijlê, دیجلە
Baghdad

Geography

edit

The Tigris is 1,750 km (1,090 mi) long, rising in theTaurus Mountainsof easternTurkeyabout 25 km (16 mi) southeast of the city ofElazığand about 30 km (19 mi) from the headwaters of the Euphrates. The river then flows for 400 km (250 mi) through Southeastern Turkey before forming part of theSyria-Turkey border.This stretch of 44 km (27 mi) is the only part of the river that is located in Syria.[3]Some of its affluences are Garzan, Anbarçayi,Batman,and theGreatand theLittle Zab.[11]

Close to its confluence with the Euphrates, the Tigris splits into several channels. First, the artificialShatt al-Hayybranches off, to join the Euphrates nearNasiriyah.Second, the Shatt al-Muminah andMajar al-Kabirbranch off to feed theCentral Marshes.Further downstream, two otherdistributary channelsbranch off (theAl-MusharrahandAl-Kahla), to feed theHawizeh Marshes.The main channel continues southwards and is joined by theAl-Kassarah,which drains the Hawizeh Marshes. Finally, the Tigris joins the Euphrates nearal-Qurnahto form theShatt-al-Arab.According toPlinyand other ancient historians, the Euphrates originally had its outlet into the sea separate from that of the Tigris.[12]

Baghdad,the capital ofIraq,stands on the banks of the Tigris. The port city ofBasrastraddles the Shatt al-Arab. In ancient times, many of the great cities ofMesopotamiastood on or near the Tigris, drawing water from it to irrigate the civilization of theSumerians.Notable Tigris-side cities includedNineveh,Ctesiphon,andSeleucia,while the city ofLagashwas irrigated by the Tigris via a canal dug around 2900 B.C.

edit

The Tigris has long been an important transport route in a largely desert country. Shallow-draft vessels can go as far as Baghdad, but rafts have historically been needed for transport downstream fromMosul.[13][14][15]

Management and water quality

edit
Batman River

The Tigris is heavily dammed in Iraq and Turkey to provide water for irrigating the arid and semi-desert regions bordering the river valley. Damming has also been important for averting floods in Iraq, to which the Tigris has historically been notoriously prone following April melting of snow in the Turkish mountains.Mosul Damis the largest dam in Iraq.

Recent Turkish damming of the river has been the subject of some controversy, for both its environmental effects within Turkey and its potential to reduce the flow of water downstream.

Water from both rivers is used as a means of pressure during conflicts.[16]

In 2014 a major breakthrough in developing consensus between multiple stakeholder representatives of Iraq and Turkey on a Plan of Action for promoting exchange and calibration of data and standards pertaining to Tigris river flows was achieved. The consensus, known as the "Geneva Consensus On Tigris River", was reached at a meeting organized inGenevaby the think tankStrategic Foresight Group.[17]

In February 2016, theUnited States Embassy in Iraqas well as thePrime Minister of IraqHaider al-Abadiissued warnings thatMosul Damcould collapse.[18]The United States warned people to evacuate the floodplain of the Tigris because between 500,000 and 1.5 million people were at risk of drowning due toflash floodif the dam collapses, and that the major Iraqi cities ofMosul,Tikrit,Samarra,andBaghdadwere at risk.[19]

Religion and mythology

edit

InSumerian mythology,the Tigris was created by the godEnki,who filled the river with flowing water.[20]

InHittiteandHurrianmythology,Aranzah(orAranzahasin theHittitenominative form) is the Hurrian name of the Tigris River, which was deified. He was the son ofKumarbiand the brother ofTeshubandTašmišu,one of the three gods spat out of Kumarbi's mouth ontoMount Kanzuras.Later he colluded withAnuand theTeshubto destroy Kumarbi (The Kumarbi Cycle).

The Tigris appears twice in theOld Testament.First, in theBook of Genesis,it is the third of thefour riversbranching off the river issuing out of theGarden of Eden.[9]The second mention is in theBook of Daniel,whereinDanielstates he received one of his visions "when I was by that great river the Tigris".[21]

The Tigris River is also mentioned in Islam in Sunan Abi Daud 4306.[22]The tomb ofImam Ahmad Bin HanbalandSyed Abdul Razzaq Jilaniis in Baghdad and the flow of Tigris restricts the number of visitors.

Baháʼu'lláh,the founder of theBaháʼí Faith,also wroteThe Hidden Wordsaround 1858 while he walked along the banks of the Tigris river during his exile in Baghdad.

Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Iraq 1932–1959 depicting the two rivers, the confluence Shatt al-Arab and the date palm forest, which used to be the largest in the world

The river featured on thecoat of arms of Iraqfrom 1932 to 1959.

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^Stone, Michael E.; Topchyan, Aram (2022).Jews in Ancient and Medieval Armenia: First Century BCE to Fourteenth Century CE.Oxford University Press. p. 17.ISBN978-0-19-758207-7.
  2. ^Nicoll, Kathleen."Geomorphic Evolution of the Upper Basin of the Tigris River, Turkey".University of Utah.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-10-25.Retrieved2021-09-05.
  3. ^abIsaev, V.A.; Mikhailova, M.V. (2009). "The hydrology, evolution, and hydrological regime of the mouth area of the Shatt al-Arab River".Water Resources.36(4): 380–395.doi:10.1134/S0097807809040022.S2CID129706440.
  4. ^Kolars, J.F.; Mitchell, W.A. (1991).The Euphrates River and the Southeast Anatolia Development Project.Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press. pp.6–8.ISBN0-8093-1572-6.
  5. ^F. Delitzsch,Sumerisches Glossar,Leipzig (1914), IV, 6, 21.
  6. ^Foundation, Encyclopaedia Iranica."Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica".iranicaonline.org.Retrieved2024-07-10.
  7. ^"Tigris Meaning - Bible Definition and References".Bible Study Tools.Retrieved2024-07-10.
  8. ^Guo, Rong xing (7 July 2020). "2.1.3 Comparing the Euphrates and Tigris".Wadier: A New History of Civilizations(PDF).Vol. I: What do the Ancestral Voices and Glyphs Say?. pp. 100–104.Retrieved11 June2024.
  9. ^abGenesis 2:14
  10. ^E. Laroche,Glossaire de la langue Hourrite,Paris (1980), p. 55.
  11. ^"Diyarbakir".europeanwalledtowns.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-10-25.Retrieved2019-11-10.
  12. ^Pliny: Natural History, VI, XXVI, 128-131
  13. ^Namio Egami, "The Report of The Japan Mission For The Survey of Under-Water Antiquities At Qurnah: The First Season," (1971-72), 1-45,https:// jstage.jst.go.jp/article/orient1960/8/0/8_0_1/_pdfArchived2018-10-31 at theWayback Machine.
  14. ^Larsen, M.T.,The Conquest of Assyria: Excavations in an Antique LandArchived2023-03-26 at theWayback Machine,Routledge, 2014, pp 344-49
  15. ^"Mesopotamia, Tigris-Euphrates, 1914-1917, despatches, killed and died, medals".naval-history.net.Archived fromthe originalon 19 November 2015.Retrieved28 November2015.
  16. ^Vidal, John. "Water supply key to the outcome of conflicts in Iraq and Syria, experts warn",The Guardian,2 July 2014.Archived2016-12-04 at theWayback Machine.
  17. ^Sümer, Vakur (1 December 2014)."Analysis & Water Agenda".ORSAM. Archived fromthe originalon 2015-09-24.Retrieved2015-11-28.
  18. ^Borger, Julian (29 February 2016)."Iraqi PM and US issue warnings over threat of Mosul dam collapse".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 29 February 2016.Retrieved29 February2016.
  19. ^"US warns of Mosul dam collapse in northern Iraq".BBC News.29 February 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 29 February 2016.Retrieved29 February2016.
  20. ^Jeremy A. Black,The Literature of Ancient Sumer,Oxford University Press,2004,ISBN0-19-926311-6,p. 220–221.
  21. ^Daniel 10:4
  22. ^"Sunan Abi Dawud 4306 – Battles (Kitab Al-Malahim) – كتاب الملاحم – Sunnah – River of Dajal(Tigris)".sunnah.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-04-13.Retrieved2021-02-10.
edit
Wikisourcehas the text of theEncyclopædia Britannica(9th ed.) articleTigris.
Wikimedia Commons has media related toTigris.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tigris&oldid=1251428663"