View source for Tigris

{{Short description|River in Turkey, Iraq, and Syria}}
{{other uses}}
{{Infobox river
| name = Tigris
| native_name = 
| native_name_lang = 
| name_other = 
| name_etymology = <!---------------------- IMAGE & MAP -->
| image = Mosul river.jpg
| image_size = 
| image_caption = Tigris river in [[Mosul]]
| map = Tigr-euph.png
| map_size = 299
| map_caption = Map of the [[Tigris–Euphrates river system]]
| pushpin_map = 
| pushpin_map_size = 300
| pushpin_map_caption = 
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 4
<!---------------------- LOCATION -->| subdivision_type1 = Country
| subdivision_name1 = [[Turkey]], [[Syria]], [[Iraq]]
| subdivision_type2 = Source region
| subdivision_name2 = [[Armenian Highlands]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Stone |first1=Michael E. |last2=Topchyan |first2=Aram |title=Jews in Ancient and Medieval Armenia: First Century BCE to Fourteenth Century CE |date=2022 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-758207-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DMBuEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA17 |language=en |page=17}}</ref>
| subdivision_type3 = 
| subdivision_name3 = 
| subdivision_type4 = 
| subdivision_name4 = 
| subdivision_type5 = Cities
| subdivision_name5 = [[Elazığ]], [[Diyarbakır]], [[Mosul]], [[Baghdad]]
<!---------------------- PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS -->| length = {{convert|1900|km|mi|abbr=on}}
| width_min = 
| width_avg = 
| width_max = 
| depth_min = 
| depth_avg = 
| depth_max = 
| discharge1_location = [[Baghdad]]
| discharge1_min = {{convert|337|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_avg = {{convert|1014|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_max = {{convert|2779|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
<!---------------------- BASIN FEATURES -->| source1 = [[Lake Hazar]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Nicoll |first1=Kathleen |url=https://serc.carleton.edu/47064 |title=Geomorphic Evolution of the Upper Basin of the Tigris River, Turkey |publisher=University of Utah |access-date=2021-09-05 |archive-date=2023-10-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025123213/https://serc.carleton.edu/vignettes/collection/42077.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
| source1_location = [[Gölardı, Elâzığ|Gölardı]], Turkey
| source1_coordinates = {{coord|38|29|0|N|39|25|0|E|type:river_region:TR-23|display=inline}}
| source1_elevation = {{convert|1150|m|abbr=on}}
| mouth = [[Shatt al-Arab]]
| mouth_location = [[Al-Qurnah]], Iraq
| mouth_coordinates = {{coord|31|0|18|N|47|26|31|E|display=inline,title}}
| mouth_elevation = {{Convert|1|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| progression = [[Shatt al-Arab]] → [[Persian Gulf]]
| river_system = [[Tigris–Euphrates river system]]
| basin_size = {{convert|375000|km2|abbr=on}}
| tributaries_left = [[Garzan River|Garzan]], [[Botan River|Botan]], [[Khabur (Tigris)|Khabur]], [[Great Zab|Greater Zab]], [[Little Zab|Lesser Zab]], [['Adhaim]], [[Cizre]], [[Diyala River|Diyala]]
| tributaries_right = [[Lake Tharthar|Wadi Tharthar]]
| custom_label = 
| custom_data = 
| extra = <ref name="Isaev">{{cite journal |last1=Isaev |first1=V.A. |last2=Mikhailova |first2=M.V. |year=2009 |title=The hydrology, evolution, and hydrological regime of the mouth area of the Shatt al-Arab River |journal=Water Resources |volume=36 |issue=4 |pages=380–395 |doi=10.1134/S0097807809040022 |s2cid=129706440 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Euphrates River and the Southeast Anatolia Development Project|last1=Kolars|first1=J.F.|last2=Mitchell|first2=W.A.|year=1991|publisher=Southern Illinois University Press|location=Carbondale|isbn=0-8093-1572-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/euphratesriverso0000kola/page/6 6–8]|url=https://archive.org/details/euphratesriverso0000kola/page/6}}</ref>
}}
[[File:Le Tour du monde-04-p065.jpg|thumb|Mosul, on the bank of the Tigris, 1861]]

The '''Tigris''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|aɪ|ɡ|r|ɪ|s}} {{respell|TY|griss}}; see [[#Etymology|below]]) is the eastern of the two great [[river]]s that define [[Mesopotamia]], the other being the [[Euphrates]]. The river flows south from the mountains of the [[Armenian Highlands]] through the [[Syrian Desert|Syrian]] and [[Arabian Desert]]s, before merging with the [[Euphrates]] and reaching to the [[Persian Gulf]].

The Tigris passes through historical cities like [[Mosul]], [[Tikrit]], [[Samarra]], and [[Baghdad]]. It is also home to archaeological sites and ancient religious communities, including the [[Mandaeans]], who use it for [[Masbuta|baptism]]. In ancient times, the Tigris nurtured the [[Assyria|Assyrian Empire]], with remnants like the relief of [[Tiglath-Pileser I|King 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 ==
[[File:USSHER(1865) p477 BEDOWEEN CROSSING THE TIGRIS WITH PLUNDER.jpg|thumb|right|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”).

The [[Ancient Greek]] form {{Transliteration|grc|Tigris}} ({{lang|grc|Τίγρις}}) probably derived from {{Transliteration|sux|*id (i)gina}} "running water").<ref>F. Delitzsch, ''Sumerisches Glossar'', Leipzig (1914), IV, 6, 21.</ref> 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 more [[silt]] and build up a higher bed than the Tigris. The Sumerian form was borrowed into [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]] as {{Transliteration|akk|Idiqlat}} and from there into the other [[Semitic languages]] (compare {{langx|he|חִדֶּקֶל‎|translit=Ḥîddéqel}}; {{langx|tmr|דיגלת‎, דיקגלת‎|translit=diqlāṯ}} or {{Transliteration|tmr|diglāṯ}}; {{langx|syc|ܕܩܠܬ‎|translit=Deqlāṯ}}, {{langx|ar|دِجلَة|translit=Dijlah}}).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tigris Meaning - Bible Definition and References |url=https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/tigris/ |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=Bible Study Tools |language=en}}</ref>

In [[Kurdish languages]], it is known as {{Transliteration|ku|Ava Mezin}}, "the Great Water".<ref>{{cite book|last=Guo|first=Rongxing|date=7 July 2020|chapter=2.1.3 Comparing the Euphrates and Tigris|title=Wadier: A New History of Civilizations|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318392498|format=PDF|volume=I: What do the Ancestral Voices and Glyphs Say?|pages=100–104|access-date=11 June 2024}}</ref>

[[Image:Tigris river Mosul.jpg|thumb|right|[[Mosul]], [[Iraq]]]]
[[Image:TigrisRiver.JPG|thumb|right|Outside of [[Mosul]], [[Iraq]]]]
The name of the Tigris in languages that have been important in the region:
{|class="wikitable" 
|-
!Language 
!Name for Tigris 
|-
|[[Akkadian language|Akkadian]]
|{{lang|akk|{{cuneiform|6|𒁇𒄘𒃼}}}}, {{transliteration|akk|Idiqlat}}
|-
|[[Arabic]]
|{{lang|ar|دِجلَة}}, {{transliteration|ar|Dijlah}}; {{lang|ar|حُدَاقِل}}, Ḥudāqil
|-
|[[Aramaic]]
|{{lang|arc|דיגלת}}, {{transliteration|arc|Diglath}}
|-
|[[Armenian language|Armenian]]
|{{lang|hy|Տիգրիս}}, {{transliteration|hy|Tigris}}, {{lang|hy|Դգլաթ}}, {{transliteration|hy|Dglatʿ}}
|-
|[[Ancient Greek|Greek]]
|{{lang|grc|[[incubator:Wp/grc/Τίγρης|ἡ Τίγρης]], -ητος}}, {{transliteration|el|hē Tígrēs, -ētos}};
{{lang|grc|ἡ, ὁ Τίγρις, -ιδος}}, {{transliteration|el|hē, ho Tígris, -idos}}
|-
|[[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]
|{{lang|he|חִדֶּקֶל}}, {{transliteration|he|Ḥiddéqel}}<ref name="Genesis 2:14">Genesis 2:14</ref>
|-
|[[Hurrian language|Hurrian]]
|{{transliteration|xhu|Aranzah}}<ref>E. Laroche, ''Glossaire de la langue Hourrite'', Paris (1980), p. 55.</ref> 
|-
|[[Persian language|Persian]]
|{{langx|peo|{{script|Xpeo|𐎫𐎡𐎥𐎼𐎠}}}} ''Tigrā''; [[Middle Persian]]: ''Tigr''; {{langx|fa|دجله}} ''Dejle''
|-
|[[Sumerian language|Sumerian]]
|{{lang|sux|{{cuneiform|4|𒁇𒄘𒃼}}}} {{transliteration|sux|Idigna/Idigina}} [[Image:B124ellst.png|100x20px|IDIGNA (Borger 2003 nr. 124) 𒈦𒄘𒃼<!-- MAŠ.GU2.GAR3-->]]
|-
|[[Syriac language|Syriac]]
|{{lang|syr|ܕܸܩܠܵܬܼ}} {{transliteration|syr|Deqlaṯ}}
|-
|[[Turkish language|Turkish]]
|{{lang|tr|Dicle}}
|-
|[[Kurdish languages|Kurdish]]
|Dîcle, Dijlê, دیجلە
|}
[[Image:Haifa street, as seen from the medical city hospital across the tigres.jpg|thumb|right|[[Baghdad]]]]

==Geography==
The Tigris is {{convert|1,750|km|mi|abbr=on}} long, rising in the [[Taurus Mountains]] of eastern [[Turkey]] about {{convert|25|km|mi|abbr=on}} southeast of the city of [[Elazığ]] and about {{convert|30|km|mi|abbr=on}} from the headwaters of the Euphrates. The river then flows for {{convert|400|km|mi|abbr=on}} through Southeastern Turkey before forming part of the [[Syria-Turkey border]]. This stretch of {{convert|44|km|mi|abbr=on}} is the only part of the river that is located in Syria.<ref name="Isaev"/> Some of its affluences are Garzan, Anbarçayi, [[Batman River|Batman]], and the [[Great Zab|Great]] and the [[Little Zab]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.europeanwalledtowns.org/diyarbakir|title=Diyarbakir|website=europeanwalledtowns|language=en|access-date=2019-11-10|archive-date=2023-10-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025123209/https://www.europeanwalledtowns.org/diyarbakir|url-status=live}}</ref>

Close to its confluence with the Euphrates, the Tigris splits into several channels. First, the artificial [[Shatt al-Hayy]] branches off, to join the Euphrates near [[Nasiriyah]]. Second, the Shatt al-Muminah and [[Majar al-Kabir]] branch off to feed the [[Central Marshes]]. Further downstream, two other [[distributary channel]]s branch off (the [[Al-Musharrah]] and [[Al-Kahla]]), to feed the [[Hawizeh Marshes]]. The main channel continues southwards and is joined by the [[Al-Kassarah]], which drains the Hawizeh Marshes. Finally, the Tigris joins the Euphrates near [[al-Qurnah]] to form the [[Shatt-al-Arab]]. According to [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] and other ancient historians, the Euphrates originally had its outlet into the sea separate from that of the Tigris.<ref>Pliny: Natural History, VI, XXVI, 128-131</ref>

[[Baghdad]], the capital of [[Iraq]], stands on the banks of the Tigris. The port city of [[Basra]] straddles the Shatt al-Arab. In ancient times, many of the great cities of [[Mesopotamia]] stood on or near the Tigris, drawing water from it to irrigate the civilization of the [[Sumer]]ians. Notable Tigris-side cities included [[Nineveh]], [[Ctesiphon]], and [[Seleucia on the Tigris|Seleucia]], while the city of [[Lagash]] was irrigated by the Tigris via a canal dug around 2900 B.C.

{{Wide image|Tigris River in Baghdad (2016).jpg|700|Tigris river in [[Baghdad]]}}

==Navigation==
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 from [[Mosul]].<ref>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://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/orient1960/8/0/8_0_1/_pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031234121/https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/orient1960/8/0/8_0_1/_pdf |date=2018-10-31 }}.</ref><ref>Larsen, M.T., ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=jK8c4E2zkUMC The Conquest of Assyria: Excavations in an Antique Land] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326164822/https://books.google.com/books?id=jK8c4E2zkUMC |date=2023-03-26 }},'' Routledge, 2014, pp 344-49</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.naval-history.net/WW1Battle1408Mesopotamia.htm|title=Mesopotamia, Tigris-Euphrates, 1914-1917, despatches, killed and died, medals|work=naval-history.net|access-date=28 November 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119012635/http://www.naval-history.net/WW1Battle1408Mesopotamia.htm|archive-date=19 November 2015}}</ref>

==Management and water quality==
[[File:Tigris 2015.jpg|thumb|right|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 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.<ref>Vidal, John. "[https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/02/water-key-conflict-iraq-syria-isis Water supply key to the outcome of conflicts in Iraq and Syria, experts warn]", ''[[The Guardian]]'', 2 July 2014. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161204151802/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/02/water-key-conflict-iraq-syria-isis |date=2016-12-04 }}.</ref>

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 in [[Geneva]] by the think tank [[Strategic Foresight Group]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.orsam.org.tr/en/WaterResources/showAnalysisAgenda.aspx?ID=2735 |title=Analysis & Water Agenda |date= 1 December 2014  |first1=Vakur |last1=Sümer |publisher=ORSAM |access-date=2015-11-28 |archive-date=2015-09-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924061827/http://www.orsam.org.tr/en/WaterResources/showAnalysisAgenda.aspx?ID=2735 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In February 2016, the [[United States Embassy in Iraq]] as well as the [[Prime Minister of Iraq]] [[Haider al-Abadi]] issued warnings that [[Mosul Dam]] could collapse.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Borger|first1=Julian|title=Iraqi PM and US issue warnings over threat of Mosul dam collapse|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/29/iraq-us-issue-warnings-threat-of-mosul-dam-collapse|access-date=29 February 2016|work=[[The Guardian]] |date=29 February 2016|archive-date=29 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160229213305/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/29/iraq-us-issue-warnings-threat-of-mosul-dam-collapse|url-status=live}}</ref> 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 to [[flash flood]] if the dam collapses, and that the major Iraqi cities of [[Mosul]], [[Tikrit]], [[Samarra]], and [[Baghdad]] were at risk.<ref>{{cite news|title=US warns of Mosul dam collapse in northern Iraq|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35690616|access-date=29 February 2016|work=[[BBC News]] |date=29 February 2016|archive-date=29 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160229211311/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35690616|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Religion and mythology ==
In [[Sumerian religion|Sumerian mythology]], the Tigris was created by the god [[Enki]], who filled the river with flowing water.<ref>Jeremy A. Black, ''The Literature of Ancient Sumer'', [[Oxford University Press]], 2004, {{ISBN|0-19-926311-6}}, p. 220–221.</ref>

In [[Hittites|Hittite]] and [[Hurrian]] mythology, ''[[Aranzah]]'' (or ''Aranzahas'' in the [[Hittite language|Hittite]] nominative form) is the Hurrian name of the Tigris River, which was deified. He was the son of [[Kumarbi]] and the brother of [[Teshub]] and [[Tašmišu]], one of the three gods spat out of Kumarbi's mouth onto [[Mount Kanzuras]]. Later he colluded with [[Anu]] and the [[Teshub]] to destroy Kumarbi ([[Song of Kumarbi|The Kumarbi Cycle]]).

The Tigris appears twice in the [[Old Testament]]. First, in the [[Book of Genesis]], it is the third of the [[Rivers of Paradise|four rivers]] branching off the river issuing out of the [[Garden of Eden]].<ref name="Genesis 2:14" /> The second mention is in the [[Book of Daniel]], wherein [[Daniel (biblical figure)|Daniel]] states he received one of his visions "when I was by that great river the Tigris".<ref>Daniel 10:4</ref>

The Tigris River is also mentioned in Islam in Sunan Abi Daud 4306.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Sunan Abi Dawud 4306 – Battles (Kitab Al-Malahim) – كتاب الملاحم – Sunnah.com – River of Dajal(Tigris)|url=https://sunnah.com/abudawud:4306|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413155438/https://sunnah.com/abudawud:4306|archive-date=2021-04-13|access-date=2021-02-10|website=sunnah.com|url-status=live}}</ref>  The tomb of [[Imam Ahmad Bin Hanbal]] and [[Syed Abdul Razzaq Jilani]] is in Baghdad and the flow of Tigris restricts the number of visitors.

[[Baháʼu'lláh]], the founder of the [[Baháʼí Faith]], also wrote ''[[The Hidden Words]]'' around 1858 while he walked along the banks of the Tigris river during his exile in Baghdad.

[[File:Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Iraq (1921–1958).svg|thumb|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 the [[coat of arms of Iraq]] from 1932 to 1959.

==See also==
* [[Assyria]]
* [[Cradle of civilization]]
* [[Ilisu Dam Campaign]] campaign against a dam on Tigris in Turkey
* [[List of places in Iraq]]
* [[Mountains of Ararat]]
* [[Geography of Iraq]]
* [[Zagros Mountains|Zagros Mountain]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{EB9 Poster}}
{{Commons category|Tigris}}

* [https://www.livius.org/men-mh/mesopotamia/tigris.html Livius.org: Tigris]
* {{cite web |url=http://pleiades.stoa.org/places/912964 |title=Places: 912964 (Tigris/Diglitus fl.) |author1=Hausleiter, A. |author2=M. Roaf|author3=St J. Simpson|author4=R. Wenke|author5=P. Flensted Jensen|author6=R. Talbert|author7=T. Elliott|author8=S. Gillies|date=27 December 2020 |author2-link=Michael Roaf |access-date=March 9, 2012<!-- 8:45 am -->|publisher=Pleiades}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110720184608/http://zunia.org/uploads/media/knowledge/Geopolicity%20-%20Managing%20the%20Tigris%20and%20Euphrates%20Watershed%20-%20The%20Challenge%20Facing%20Iraq1280855782.pdf Managing the Tigris and Euphrates Watershed]
*[http://www.ppl.nl/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=82 Bibliography on Water Resources and International Law] Peace Palace Library
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20151119012635/http://www.naval-history.net/WW1Battle1408Mesopotamia.htm Outline of WWI Battles involving the Tigris River]
*Old maps of the Tigris, Eran Laor Cartographic Collection, The [[National Library of Israel]]

{{Tigris}}
{{Ancient Mesopotamia}}
{{Iraq topics}}
{{Rivers of Syria}}
{{Rivers of Turkey}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Tigris River| ]]
[[Category:International rivers of Asia]]
[[Category:Rivers of Iraq]]
[[Category:Rivers of Kurdistan]]
[[Category:Rivers of Syria]]
[[Category:Rivers of Turkey]]
[[Category:Mesopotamia]]
[[Category:Upper Mesopotamia]]
[[Category:Levant]]
[[Category:Geography of Iraqi Kurdistan]]
[[Category:Landforms of Elazığ Province]]
[[Category:Landforms of Diyarbakır Province]]
[[Category:Landforms of Batman Province]]
[[Category:Landforms of Siirt Province]]
[[Category:Landforms of Şırnak Province]]
[[Category:Border rivers]]
[[Category:Water and religion]]
[[Category:Rivers in Mandaeism]]