The Euphrates River

"I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young."

Euphrates (pronounced: u-frá'-tes)

The Euphrates is the largest, the longest, and by far the most important of the rivers of western Asia. It rises from two chief sources in the Armenian mountains, and flows into the Persian Gulf. The entire course is 1780 miles, and of this distance more than two-thirds (1200 miles) is navigable for boats. The width of the river is greatest at the distance of about 700 miles from its mouth. It there averages 400 yards. The annual inundation of the Euphrates is caused by the melting of the snows in the Armenian highlands, which occurs in the month of May. The great hydraulic works ascribed to Nebuchadnezzar had for their chief object to control the inundation.

The Euphrates is linked with the most important events in ancient history. The city of Ur, found at its mouth, was the birthplace of Abraham. On its banks stood the city of Babylon; the army of Necho was defeated on its banks by Nebuchadnezzar; Cyrus the Younger and Crassus perished after crossing it; Alexander crossed it, and Trajan and Severus descended it. When the Egyptians first set eyes on it, they wrote that it flows backwards; it flows south while the Nile flows north.

An entire culture thrives at the mouth in the swamp-like delta area. Here floating islands within the lakes and marshes support large communities of reed lodges. The people who live here may pass an entire lifetime without ever setting foot on solid soil. All their wants are supplied by the river, or the reeds and other plants found on the islands. These are the marsh Bedouins, called Shatt-el-'Arab.

Source: http://www.ancientroute.com/water/Euphrat.htm

Euphrates River History (another telling)

Arabic: Al Furat Turkish: Furat

The Euphrates River is one of the most important rivers in the world. Along with the Tigris, it provided much of the water that supported the development of ancient Mesopotamian culture. The Tigris Euphrates valley was the birthplace of the ancient civilizations of Assyria, Babylonian, and Sumer. In northern Iraq the Euphrates forms the western boundary of the area known as Al Jazirah. To the southeast the alluvial lands between the two rivers was the site of the glorious Babylonian civilizations of ancient times. The Euphrates is important solely for its water supply. The river is the source of political tension, as Turkey, Syria and Iraq all compete for the use of its waters for irrigation and the generation of hydroelectric power. For centuries the river formed the east limit of Roman control. During the supremacy of the Eastern Roman Empire, numerous towns and centers of art and literature flourished along its bank. Much historical data has been yielded by archaeological excavations on the banks of the Tigris and the Euphrates.