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.
Bedouin crossing the river Tigris with plunder (c. 1860)
From Latin Tigris, from Ancient Greek Τίγρις (Tígris), an alternative form of Τίγρης (Tígrēs), from Old Persian 𐎫𐎡𐎥𐎼𐎠 (Tigrā), from Akkadian 𒀀𒇉𒈦𒄘𒃼 (Idiglat), from Sumerian 𒀀𒇉𒈦𒄘𒃼 (Idigna, literally “fast as an arrow”).
TheAncient Greek formTigris (Τίγρις) 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 moresilt and build up a higher bed than the Tigris. The Sumerian form was borrowed intoAkkadian asIdiqlat and from there into the otherSemitic languages (compareHebrew:חִדֶּקֶל,romanized: Ḥîddéqel;Jewish Babylonian Aramaic:דיגלת, דיקגלת,romanized: diqlāṯ ordiglāṯ;Classical Syriac:ܕܩܠܬ,romanized: Deqlāṯ,Arabic:دِجلَة,romanized: Dijlah).[6]
The Tigris is 1,750 km (1,090 mi) long, rising in theTaurus Mountains of easternTurkey about 25 km (16 mi) southeast of the city ofElazığ and 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 theGreat and theLittle Zab.[10]
Close to its confluence with the Euphrates, the Tigris splits into several channels. First, the artificialShatt al-Hayy branches off, to join the Euphrates nearNasiriyah. Second, the Shatt al-Muminah andMajar al-Kabir branch off to feed theCentral Marshes. Further downstream, two otherdistributary channels branch off (theAl-Musharrah andAl-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-Qurnah to form theShatt-al-Arab. According toPliny and other ancient historians, the Euphrates originally had its outlet into the sea separate from that of the Tigris.[11]
Baghdad, the capital ofIraq, stands on the banks of the Tigris. The port city ofBasra straddles the Shatt al-Arab. In ancient times, many of the great cities ofMesopotamia stood 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 ofLagash was irrigated by the Tigris via a canal dug around 2900 B.C.
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.[12][13][14]
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 Dam is 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.[15]
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 inGeneva by the think tankStrategic Foresight Group.[16]
InSumerian mythology, the Tigris was created by the godEnki, who filled the river with flowing water.[19]
InHittite andHurrian mythology,Aranzah (orAranzahas in theHittite nominative form) is the Hurrian name of the Tigris River, which was deified. He was the son ofKumarbi and the brother ofTeshub andTašmišu, one of the three gods spat out of Kumarbi's mouth ontoMount Kanzuras. Later he colluded withAnu and theTeshub to destroy Kumarbi (The Kumarbi Cycle).
The Tigris River is also mentioned in Islam in Sunan Abi Daud 4306.[21] The tomb ofImam Ahmad Bin Hanbal andSyed Abdul Razzaq Jilani is in Baghdad and the flow of Tigris restricts the number of visitors.
Baháʼu'lláh, the founder of theBaháʼí Faith, also wroteThe Hidden Words around 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
^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.
^Guo, Rongxing (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 June 2024.
Hausleiter, A.;M. Roaf; St J. Simpson; R. Wenke; P. Flensted Jensen; R. Talbert; T. Elliott; S. Gillies (27 December 2020)."Places: 912964 (Tigris/Diglitus fl.)". Pleiades. RetrievedMarch 9, 2012.
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