Waters from the tigris (in arabic Dijla, in Turkish Dicle) and Euphrates (in Arabic Furat, in Turkish Firat) Rivers gave rise to some of the first known agricultural civilizations. These early societies of the Mesopotamian plain arose with irrigation techniques and water infrastructure dating back to 4000 b.c.e. and earlier. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers are also well known for their high inter-annual and seasonal variability, leading to intense flooding with maximum flows as much as 10 times minimum flows. Sediment loading on the rivers is also high, resulting in raised river beds that historically have facilitated irrigation.

The “twin rivers” begin approximately 30 kilometers from each other in the highlands of eastern Turkey, travel through Syria and Iraq, and join together as the Shatt al ...