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The river is approximately 2,780 km (1,700 miles) long. It is formed by the union of two branches, the Kara (the western Euphrates), which rises in the highlands of eastern Turkey north of Erzerum and the Murat (the eastern Euphrates), which issues from Lake Van. The upper reaches of the Euphrates flow through steep canyons and gorges then southwest across Syria and then through Iraq. The Khabur and the Balikh River join the Euphrates in eastern Syria. They both have their origins in Turkey. Downstream, through its whole length, the Euphrates receives no further water flow. Below Basra in southern Iraq the river merges with the Tigris to form the Shatt al-Arab, which in turn empties into the Persian GulfThe Persian Gulf ( Persian: , Arabic: ) is an extension of the Gulf of Oman in between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. This inland sea of some 233,000 km˛ is connected to the Gulf of Oman in the east by the Strait of Hormuz, and its western end is marked.
The river used to divide into many channels at Basra, forming an extensive marshland, but the marshes were largely drained by the Saddam HusseinSaddm Hussein 'Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti Hussein also spelled Husayn and Hussain Arabic: ; born April 28, 1937 1) was President of Iraq from 1979 to 2003. A rising star in the revolutionary Ba'ath Party, which espoused secular Arab nationalism, economic mod government in the 1990sCenturies: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s 2040s Years: Events and trends Computers, technology Explosive growth of the Internet; decrease in the cost of computers and other techn as a means of driving out the rebellious Marsh ArabsThe Marsh Arabs are the inhabitants of the lowlands of southern Iraq, the former Mesopotamia, whose families have lived in the area for thousands of years. Marsh Arabs participated in a rebellion against Saddam Hussein immediately following the First Gulf. Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the drainage policy has been reversed, but it remains to be seen whether the marshes will recover.
The Euphrates is only navigable by very shallow-draft boats, which can reach as far as the Iraqi city of Hit , located 1,200 miles upstream and which is only 53 meters above sea level. Above Hit, however, shoals and rapids make the river commercially unnavigable. Its annual inundation, caused by snowmelt in the mountains of Armenia, has been partly checked by new dams and reservoirs in the upper reaches. A 550-mile canal links the Euphrates to the Tigris to serve as a route for river barges.
The river Euphrates is one of the four rivers that flow from the Garden of EdenThis article is about the Biblical location. For the concept in cellular automata, see Garden of Eden pattern. Garden of Eden from hebrew Gan Eden is the location of the story told in Genesis 2 and 3—part of the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions. according to Book of Genesis 2:14. It is the fourth river, after PishonThe Pishon is mentioned in the Biblical Genesis (2:11) as one of four rivers branching off from a single river within the Eden. The river is described as encircling "the entire land of Havilah", which remains as unidentified as Pishon itself. Since two of, Gihon, and Tigris, to form from the river flowing out of the garden. The river also marked one of the boundaries of the land promised by God to Abraham and his descendants. In the Hebrew Bible it is often referred to simply as "The River" (ha-nahar).
In the Book of Revelation attributed to John, it is prophesied that in the " end times" the river will dry up in preparation for the Battle of Armageddon.