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The Tigris is approximately 1,800 km (1,150 miles) long, rising in the Taurus Mountains of eastern Turkey and flowing in a generally southeasterly direction until it joins the Euphrates near Al Qurna in southern Iraq. The two rivers together form the Shatt al-Arab waterway, which 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 kmē is connected to the Gulf of Oman in the east by the Strait of Hormuz, and its western end is marked. The river is joined by many tributaries, including the DiyalaThe Diyala River is a river and tributary of the Tigris that runs through Iran and Iraq. It covers a total distance of 445 km (275 miles). It rises near Hamadan, in the Zagros Mountains of Iran, where it is known as the Sirvan . It then descends through t and ZabZab is the name given to two separate rivers that flow through Iran, Iraq and Turkey to become the two principal tributaries of the Tigris. The Great Zab Zab Ala rises in the mountains of southeastern Turkey and flows south for 265 miles (426 km) before j.
BaghdadCapitals in Asia Baghdad is the capital of Iraq and the Baghdad Province. It is the second largest city in Southwest Asia after Tehran, with the 2003 population estimated at 5,772,000. Situated on the Tigris River at 33°20 north and 44°26 east, the city w, the capital of Iraq, is on the western bank of the Tigris, while the port-city of BasraBasra (also known as Basrah or Basara historically sometimes called Busra Busrah and early on Bassorah Arabic: , Al-Basrah is the second largest city of Iraq with an estimated population of about 1,377,000 in 2003. It is the country's main port. The city straddles both the Tigris and Euphrates. In ancient times, many of the great cities of Mesopotamia stood on or near the river, drawing water from it to irrigate the civilization of the Sumerians. Notable Tigris-side cities included NinevehThis article is about the ancient Middle Eastern city of Nineveh. The name is also applied to a place in Indiana, USA: see Nineveh, Indiana. Nineveh (Assyrian city of "Ninua") was an important city in ancient Assyria, lying within the area of the modern c, CtesiphonCtesiphon was one of the great cities of ancient Mesopotamia and the capital of the Parthian Empire and its successor, the Persian Empire, for more than 600 years. Located approximately 20 miles southeast of the modern city of Baghdad, along the river Tig and Seleucia, while the city of Lagash was irrigated by Tigris water delivered to it via a canal dug around 2400 BC. Saddam Hussein's home town of Tikrit is also located on the river and derives its name from it.The Tigris has long been an important transport route in a largely desert country. It is navigable as far as Baghdad by shallow-draft vessels but rafts are required for transport upstream to Mosul. River trade declined in importance during the 20th century as the Basra-Baghdad-Mosul railway and roads took over much of the freight traffic.
The river is heavily dammed in both Iraq and Turkey, in order 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 snowmelt in the Turkish mountains around April. Recent Turkish damming of the river has been the subject of some controversy, both for its environmental effects within Turkey and its potential to reduce the flow of water downstream.