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For the song "River Euphrates" by the Pixies, see Surfer Rosa. Surfer Rosa is the first full-length album by the American Alternative rock band Pixies, released in March 1988 on the British Independent

The Euphrates (juːˈfreɪtiːz (help·info)) (Arabic: نهر الفرات, Nahr ul-Furāt; Turkish: Fırat; Syriac: ܦܪܬ, Prāṯ; Hebrew: פרת, Pĕrāṯ) is the western of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia (the other being the Tigris) which flows from Anatolia. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Turkish ( tr Türkçe IPA) is a language spoken by over 63 million people worldwide making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. See Syriac (disambiguation for other uses Syriac (syr ܠܫܢܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ leššānā Suryāyā) is an Eastern Aramaic language Mesopotamia (from the Greek meaning "land between the rivers" is an area geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers largely corresponding The Tigris is the eastern member of the two great Rivers that define Mesopotamia, along with the Euphrates, which flows from the mountains of southeastern Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black

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Etymology

Modern names for the Euphrates may have been derived by popular etymology from the Sumerian and Akkadian names, respectively Buranun and Pu-rat-tu. Folk etymology is a term used in two distinct ways A commonly held misunderstanding of the origin of a particular word a False etymology. Sumerian ( " native tongue " was the language of ancient Sumer, spoken in Southern Mesopotamia since at least the 4th millennium BC The former appears in an inscription from the 22nd century BCE associated with King Gudea. Gudea was a ruler ( ensi) of the city of Lagash in Southern Mesopotamia who ruled ca

Etymologically, the name "Euphrates" is the Greek form of the original name, Phrat, which means "fertilizing" or "fruitful". [1]

Alternatively, the second half of the word Euphrates may also derive from either the Persian Ferat or the Greek φέρω (pronounced [fero]), both of which mean "to carry" or "to bring forward".

Language Name for Euphrates
Akkadian Pu-rat-tu
Arabic الفرات Al-Furāt
Aramaic ܦܪܬ Prāṯ, Froṯ
Armenian Եփրատ Yeṗrat
Greek Ευφράτης Euphrátēs
Hebrew פְּרָת Pĕrāṯ
Kurdish فرهات Firat, Ferat
Persian فرات Ferat
Sumerian Buranun
Turkish Fırat

Course of the Euphrates

Main article: List of cities and towns on the Euphrates River

The river is approximately 2,781 kilometers (1,730 mi) long. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Aramaic is a Semitic language with The Armenian language (hy հայերեն լեզու hajɛɹɛn lɛzu —, conventional short form) is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian The Ancient Greek language is the historical stage in the development of the Hellenic language family spanning the Archaic (c The Kurdish language (Kurdish Kurdî or کوردی is a term used for the language spoken by Kurds. Sumerian ( " native tongue " was the language of ancient Sumer, spoken in Southern Mesopotamia since at least the 4th millennium BC Turkish ( tr Türkçe IPA) is a language spoken by over 63 million people worldwide making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. This article provides a detailed list of the cities and towns along the Euphrates River in order of country It is formed by the union of two branches: the Kara Su rises about 30 km (19 mi) northeast of Erzurum, in the Kargapazari Mountains; and the Murat rises 70 km (43 mi) northeast of Lake Van. Theodosiopolis redirects here it is also a name of the ancient city of Apros, Thrace The Murat River (Murat Nehri is the major source of the Euphrates. Lake Van (Van Gölü Gola Wanê Վանա լիճ Daryacheye Van ("Lake of Van" is the largest Lake The upper reaches of the Euphrates flow through steep canyons and gorges, southeast across Syria, and through Iraq. Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. The Khabur and the Balikh River join the Euphrates in eastern Syria. The Khabur River (also Habur Habor Kebar Chebar Chaboras; Aramaic: ܚܒܘܪ, Kurdish: Çemê Xabûr, Turkish: Habur The Balikh River (kurd Belih originates in Turkey between the Euphrates and Karaca dağ (mountain flows almost due south and empties in Syria into

A man and woman make their way up the Shatt-al-Arab in Basra, Iraq.
A man and woman make their way up the Shatt-al-Arab in Basra, Iraq.

Both rivers have their origins in Turkey. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches Downstream, through its whole length, the Euphrates has no other notable tributaries. A tributary is a Stream or River which flows into a mainstem (or parent river North of Basra, in southern Iraq, the river merges with the Tigris to form the Shatt al-Arab, this in turn empties into the Persian Gulf. Basra ( BGN: AlBasrah also called Basorah Abillah and Uruk or IRAQ The name that British colony has adopted for Basra For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. The Tigris is the eastern member of the two great Rivers that define Mesopotamia, along with the Euphrates, which flows from the mountains of southeastern The Persian Gulf, in the Southwest Asian region is an extension of the

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. Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti ( Arabic: ar صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي --> April 28 1937 &ndash December 30 The Marsh Arabs (عرب الأهوار ˤArab al-Ahwār "Arabs of the Marshlands" also known as the Maˤdān (معدان are inhabitants of the Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the drainage policy has been reversed, but it remains to be seen whether the marshes will recover. The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia

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 mi) upstream and only 60 meters (200 ft) above sea level. Hīt or Heet (هيت is a city in al-Anbar province, Iraq. Hīt lies northwest of Ramadi, Above Hit, however, shoals and rapids make the river commercially unnavigable. Its annual inundation, caused by snow melt in the mountains of northeastern Turkey, has been partly checked by new dams and reservoirs in the upper reaches. An 885-kilometer (550 mi) canal links the Euphrates to the Tigris to serve as a route for river barges. :-

The Euphrates River near Ar Raqqah, Syria.
The Euphrates River near Ar Raqqah, Syria. Ar-Raqqah ( الرقة, also spelled Rakka) is a city in north central Syria located on the north bank of the Euphrates River, about 160 km Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية

Euphrates in the Bible

A river named Perath (Hebrew for Euphrates) is one of the four rivers that flow from the Garden of Eden according to Genesis 2:14. Not to be confused with Eden Gardens.The Garden of Eden ( Hebrew "pleasure" גַּן עֵדֶן Arabic: جنات عدن, This Hebrew word, derived from either the word "stream" or "to break forth", has been translated as Euphrates[1]. It is the fourth river, after the Pishon, the Gihon, and the Tigris, (Hebrew name is Hiddekel) to form from the river flowing out of the garden. The Pishon is one of four Rivers (along with the Tigris, Euphrates, and Gihon) mentioned in the Biblical Genesis (211 For the Okinawan king see Gihon (Ryukyu. For the Gihon Spring in Jerusalem see Gihon Spring. The Tigris is the eastern member of the two great Rivers that define Mesopotamia, along with the Euphrates, which flows from the mountains of southeastern The river of the same name marked one of the boundaries of the land promised by God to Abraham and his descendants (Isaac, Jacob, etc). God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. Abraham ( Ashkenazi   Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez: According to the Hebrew Bible, Isaac ( Hebrew: Yitzchak יִצְחָק, Standard Yiẓḥaq Jacob ( Hebrew: יַעֲקֹב, Standard   Yaʿaqov Tiberian   Yaʿăqōḇ; In the Hebrew Bible, it is often referred to simply as "The River" (ha-nahar). The term Hebrew Bible is a generic reference to those books of the Bible originally written in Biblical Hebrew (and the related Biblical Aramaic (Genesis 15:18).

Islamic prophecies

Euphrates River in Iraq.
Euphrates River in Iraq. The Euphrates ( ( Arabic: ar نهر الفرات; Turkish: tr Fırat Syriac: syr ܦܪܬ; Hebrew: he פרת For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics.

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. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Hadith ( ar الحديث, pl aḥadīth; lit. "narrative" are oral Traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics

Euphrates in history

The Euphrates provided the water that led to the first flowering of civilization in Sumer, dating from about the 4th millennium BCE. Sumer ( Sumerian: sux-Latn [[Ki (earth ki]]-[[EN (cuneiform en]]-'''ĝir15''', Akkadian: Šumeru; possibly Biblical Shinar Many important ancient cities were located on or near the riverside, including Mari, Sippar, Nippur, Shuruppak, Uruk, Ur and Eridu. Mari (modern Tell Hariri, Syria) was an ancient Sumerian and Amorite city located 11 kilometers north-west of the modern town of Sippar ( Sumerian Zimbir "bird city" modern Tell Abu Habbah, Iraq) was an ancient Sumerian and later Babylonian Nippur (URUENLIL; Sumerian: Nibru Akkadian: Nibbur) from the Sumerian for 'lord wind' (Enlil is modern ? in Afak Al Qadisyah Shuruppak (also Shuruppag "the healing place" modern Tell Fara, Iraq) was an ancient Sumerian city situated south of Nippur Uruk ( URU UNUG, Sumerian: unug Akkadian: uruk) from the Akkadian rendering of the Sumerian Toponym 'unug' is modern Ur ( Sumerian:urim; Akkadian: ?) is modern Tell el-Mukayyar, Iraq, and was a city in ancient Sumer. Eridu (URUNUNKI; Sumerian:eridug Akkadian: ?) from the Sumerian for 'mighty place' is modern Tell Abu Shahrain, Iraq The river valley formed the heartlands of the later empires of Babylonia and Assyria. Babylonia was an Amorite state in lower Mesopotamia (modern southern Iraq) with Babylon as its capital Early history The most Neolithic site in Assyria is at Tell Hassuna, the center of the Hassuna culture For several centuries, the river formed the eastern limit of effective Egyptian and Roman control and western regions of the Persian Empire. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia Also, the Battle of Karbala occurred at the banks of Euphrates river, where Imam Hussain, along with his family and friends, were martyred. The Battle of Karbala took place on Muharram 10 61 AH ( October 9 or 10 680 CE in Karbala, in present day Iraq. Furthermore, George Lucas had his famous peyote trip that inspired Star Wars on the banks of the Euphrates.

Controversial issues

An Iraqi city by the Euphrates river.
An Iraqi city by the Euphrates river. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics.

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 Southeastern Anatolia Project ( Turkish: G üneydoğu A nadolu P rojesi, GAP) is a multi-sector integrated regional development The first of the dams was completed in 1990, but attacks of the PKK terrorist organization has slowed down the project and caused significant delays. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan or PKK, also called KADEK, Kongra-Gel, and KGK It is listed as a terrorist 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. The Tabaqah Dam ( سد الفرات) (sometimes called the Euphrates Dam) is an earth filled Dam nearly 197 feet (60 meters high and 3 miles Syria has dammed its two tributaries and is in the process of 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. The potential for war over these waters is the subject of much diplomacy, and bears consideration of the Biblical prophecies. The Euphrates ( ( Arabic: ar نهر الفرات; Turkish: tr Fırat Syriac: syr ܦܪܬ; Hebrew: he פרת [2]

See also

References

  1. ^ From Harry Thurston Peck. The Fertile Crescent is a Crescent -shaped region in the Middle East, originally incorporating the Levant and Ancient Mesopotamia, and often This is a list of places in Iraq. Governorates of Iraq lists the regional administrative provinces and Districts of Iraq lists the subdivisions of those provinces The Tigris-Euphrates river system is part of the Tigris-Euphrates alluvial salt marsh Ecoregion of the Middle East, and is characterized by two large Al-Qurnah (Qurna is a small village in southern Iraq about 74 km northwest of Basra, within the town of Nahairat Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities. New York. Harper and Brothers. 1898. Perseus Digital Library. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0062%3Aid%3Deuphrates2
  2. ^ UK Telegraph article "Government still stalling on UN waters treaty"

External links

Ar-Raqqah ( الرقة, also spelled Rakka) is a city in north central Syria located on the north bank of the Euphrates River, about 160 km

Dictionary

Euphrates

-proper noun

  1. The river in the Middle East, 2780 kilometers in length, flowing southwest from Turkey, then southeast, and uniting with the Tigris before entering the Persian Gulf. It forms the Western edge of classical Mesopotamia.
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