The main rivers of Mesopotamia were the river Tigris and the Euphrates. In fact, the Greek name Mesopotamia means earth between two rivers.
These two bodies of water became the source of food and wealth of the region, thanks to the soil benefited from the layers of silt deposited by the two rivers in it.
The Tigris and Euphrates rivers are born to the east of Turkey, run parallel to each other and die when creating the river Shatt al Arab, which has its mouth in the Persian Gulf.
These rivers were fed by the melting snow that descended from the Taurus Mountains (northwest of modern Turkey), and the mountains of Zagros (north in Iran and Turkey). Its extension is estimated at 3600 kilometers, in the case of the Euphrates; And 1900 kilometers, in the case of Tigris.
They used to flood in the spring and leave, as they recede, miles of fertile land. Ideal for growing wheat and other cereals and grains.
Both were of great importance for the survival and progress of Mesopotamia , Since they used it as water supply, to irrigate crops, for transportation and for trade.
With them, the first civilizations that populated that valley built a whole system of irrigation canals, dams, reservoirs and dams, in order not to depend on the floods caused by the floods of the rivers, but could generate them when they wanted to Benefit of their crops.
On the other hand, the valley served as a kind of large highway by which people could be mobilized with their respective cargoes.
The indiscriminate use of its waters, the greenhouse effect caused by the global warming, the accumulation of salts and sediments and some pockets of contamination in several of its sections, threaten the existence of both rivers.
Tigris River
The Tigris, is born in Lake Hazar pertaining to the region of the Taurus mountains. It runs to the east and then it goes down to the south crossing Iraqi, Turkish and Syrian lands, in which it touches cities like Mosul, Bagdad and Samarra.
Some of its tributaries are the rivers Great Zab, the Small Zab, the Diala, the Botan, the Garzar and the Jabur. Its age is estimated at more than 13 million years.
It has an extension of about 1900 kilometers, drains a basin of 375,000 km2 and unloads just over 100 km3 / s.
This body of water has a velocity in its current greater than the one that owns the Euphrates, river to which it is united in Al-Qurnah giving rise to the river Shatt al-Arab. For this reason, many reservoirs have been built to contain and harness the energy of its waters.
In addition to being a source of fresh water for human consumption, hydropower generation and irrigation, this river is home to about 55 species of fish (46 native and 7 endemic), and 6 species of amphibians.
It is a river that can be navigated with small boats.
The commercial activity of last years began to decrease in the 20th century with the development of the region.
Euphrates River
The Euphrates is a river approximately 2,800 kilometers long which makes them the longest in southwest Asia. It was born in Turkey at the confluence of the Karasu and Murat rivers.
It has a basin of 500 thousand km2 approximately and a flow of 356 m3 / s, on average. In addition to touching territory of Iraq, Syria and Turkey, also passes through Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Its current is slower than that of the Tigris, perhaps because its few rivers are affluent; For example in Syria, only the Sajur, Balikh and Jabur rivers supply water.
It also feeds on the rains of Armenian highlands (usually between April and May), of melted snow and some small streams.
The Euphrates is the habitat of an animal as peculiar as the soft shell turtle. It is also the natural space of the warbler of Basra, the pygmy cormorant, the gerbil and the European otter.
As for the flora, on the banks of this river you can see xerófilos scrubs and oaks. Already on the border between Syria and Iraq, appear low plants and shrubs.
Like the Tigris, it has waters that turn its banks into very fertile land, and is a body of water navigable, although with small boats.
Even though the Persian Gulf war altered the balance in the Euphrates Basin, it built the fourth largest dam in the world: Ataturk.
In addition, 70% of the water in its basin is used for three important things: hydroelectric power generation through which Iraq, Syria and Turkey have electricity; Human consumption; And for irrigation.
Rivers of discord
Currently, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers are the main source of drinking water for people in the Middle East (such as Iraq, Turkey and Syria), who also use it for agriculture.
However, according to satellite observations, its channel has consistently decreased since monitoring (2003).
In fact, these water sources are currently causing tensions between countries.
In the case of the Euphrates River, disputes began in the 1970s between Syria and Iraq, but in 1990 Turkey entered the conflict by disrupting the river flow for a month to fill the Ataturk dam.
This action prompted Syria and Iraq to pause their conflict and unite to deal with the actions of the Turkish nation, which already controls 80% of the Tigris tributaries and 30% of the Euphrates.
This behavior of Turkey could be due to the need for water to be able to execute the Southeast Anatolian project that would transport the vital liquid to the desert regions inhabited by the Kurds.
Likewise, it has been proposed the construction and consolidation of reservoirs that reduce the amount of water that reaches Syria and Iraq.
While Iran, in a sense, limits the tributaries of the Tigris River to take advantage of them in hydroelectric power stations and agricultural activities.
As for possible solutions to these disputes, Baghdad has proposed that each country consume one third of the volume of the rivers in question (there are 120 million inhabitants among the three countries).
However, no agreement is reached because Syria defends that each country can use whatever it needs until they have to reduce consumption proportionately.
That is to say that Mesopotamia was the name given to the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in southern Iraq, where they Assyria, Sumer and Akkad today.
Mesopotamia was considered the"cradle of civilization,"because the settlements that emerged there probably were the first in history in relation to its socio-political organization.
Great civilizations flourished there, largely thanks to the waters of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, which were then dammed as a measure of safety in the face of floods and the need for energy that these waters provide when they are in motion.
At present, satellite images show a Mesopotamia almost devoured by the deserts, which were also made with the piece of the Persian Gulf, where the rivers Tigris and Euphrates come together.
References
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