The Batihah ( Arabic : البطيحة ) was a geographical and political unit in Iraq in the 10th and 11th centuries. It was also known as The Great Swamp or The Marsh .
31-609: The Batihah was an area in which, at the time, both the Tigris and the Euphrates discharged their waters. In its broadest sense, it covered an area approximately fifty miles across and almost two hundred miles in length, lying between Wasit and Basra . The Batihah was a marshland. It was composed of many reeds, which in certain areas gave way to open lagoons . The reeds made the marsh very difficult for enemies to travel through; only small boats that were driven by poles could navigate
62-729: 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 . 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. The United States warned people to evacuate
93-499: A higher bed than the Tigris. The Sumerian form was borrowed into Akkadian as Idiqlat and from there into the other Semitic languages (compare Hebrew : חִדֶּקֶל , romanized : Ḥîddéqel ; Jewish Babylonian Aramaic : דיגלת, דיקגלת , romanized: diqlāṯ or diglāṯ ; Classical Syriac : ܕܩܠܬ , romanized: Deqlāṯ , Arabic : دِجلَة , romanized : Dijlah ). Another name for
124-454: A largely desert country. Shallow-draft vessels can go as far as Baghdad, but rafts have historically been needed for transport downstream from Mosul . 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
155-582: Is 1,750 km (1,090 mi) long, rising in the Taurus Mountains of eastern Turkey about 25 km (16 mi) southeast of the city of Elazığ and about 30 km (19 mi) from the headwaters of the Euphrates. The river then flows for 400 km (250 mi) through Southeastern Turkey before forming part of the Syria-Turkey border . This stretch of 44 km (27 mi) is
186-463: Is an alternative form of Tígrēs ( Τίγρης ), which was adapted from Old Persian 𐎫𐎡𐎥𐎼𐎠 ( Tigrā ), itself from Elamite Tigra , itself from Sumerian 𒀀𒇉𒈦𒄘𒃼 ( Idigna or Idigina , probably derived from *id (i)gina "running water"). 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
217-778: Is the third of the four rivers branching off the river issuing out of the Garden of Eden . The second mention is in the Book of Daniel , wherein Daniel states he received one of his visions "when I was by that great river the Tigris". The Tigris River is also mentioned in Islam in Sunan Abi Daud 4306. The tomb of Imam Ahmad Bin Hanbal and Syed Abdul Razzaq Jilani is in Baghdad and
248-753: The Buyids were established in Baghdad , and thereafter attempted to take over the Batihah. 'Imran successfully resisted the Buyids for several decades, and proved to be a thorn in the side of the Buyid state. He and his successors were titled amirs , and were recognized by the Buyids as the legitimate rulers of the Batihah. 'Imran died in the summer of 979, and was succeeded by his son Hasan . The Buyid amir 'Adud al-Dawla decided to use this as an opportunity to subjugate
279-651: 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 and other ancient historians, the Euphrates originally had its outlet into the sea separate from that of the Tigris. Baghdad , the capital of Iraq , stands on
310-693: The 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 ( The Kumarbi Cycle ). The Tigris appears twice in the Old Testament . First, in the Book of Genesis , it
341-643: The Mandaeans , who use it for baptism . In ancient times, the Tigris nurtured the Assyrian Empire , with remnants like the relief of 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. The Ancient Greek form Tigris ( Τίγρις )
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#1732773021048372-532: The Batihah again became a refuge for criminals and political refugees, including the caliph al-Qadir (r. 991–1031). Sharaf al-Dawla , who had seized Iraq from Samsam al-Dawla in 987, conferred on Abu 'l-Hasan the honorific title ( laqab ) of Muhadhdhib al-Dawla . Sharaf's death in 988 or 989 threw the Buyid state into chaos. The new Buyid amir, Baha' al-Dawla , in his struggles with Samsam al-Dawla, asked Muhadhdhib al-Dawla for loans several times, and also created arranged for an alliance through marriage between
403-408: The Batihah. Al-Sharabi, keeping in mind the Batihah's tradition of not turning over fugitives, refused, whereupon the junta convinced Sultan al-Dawla to send an expedition to the swamp. Al-Sharabi was captured and the Batihah was finally conquered by the Buyids, bringing an end to the state. Tigris The Tigris ( / ˈ t aɪ ɡ r ɪ s / TY -griss ; see below ) is the eastern of
434-430: The Batihah. The army was commanded by the amir's vizier, Mutahhar . He attempted to dam the waterways, and create a raised road to allow his troops to approach Hasan's fortress on foot. The campaign cost a large amount of money, and it effectively stopped any trade boats from travelling the Tigris . Hasan, like his father, managed to stop Mutahhar by breaching the dams. The vizier tried to draw him out into open battle, but
465-431: The Buyid ruler of Kerman , Abu'l-Fawaris , entered into a struggle with Sultan and asked Muhadhdhib al-Dawla for assistance. Around the same time (1017 or 1018), Muhadhdhib al-Dawla died. Muhadhdhib al-Dawla was succeeded by al-Sharabi. Soon afterwards, the military junta that effectively controlled Sultan al-Dawla 's government demanded that al-Sharabi turn over Ibn Sahlan, a former Buyid governor of Iraq who had fled to
496-658: The Dynasty"), was the Buyid amir of Fars (1012–1024) and Iraq (1012–1021). He was the son of Baha' al-Dawla . Abu Shuja lived in Baghdad during his youth. Shortly before Baha' al-Dawla's death, he named Abu Shuja as his successor. Upon succeeding his father, he took the title Sultan al-Dawla wa 'Izz al-Milla (" Power of the Dynasty and Glory of the Community"). Travelling to his father's capital in Shiraz , he did seek for
527-638: The Tigris used in Middle Persian was Arvand Rud , literally "swift river". Today, however, Arvand Rud ( Persian : اروندرود ) refers to the confluence of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, known in Arabic as the Šaṭṭ al-ʿArab . In Kurdish languages , it is known as Ava Mezin , "the Great Water". The name of the Tigris in languages that have been important in the region: ἡ, ὁ Τίγρις, -ιδος , hē, ho Tígris, -idos The Tigris
558-554: 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. In 2014 a major breakthrough in developing consensus between multiple stakeholder representatives of Iraq and Turkey on
589-527: The area. Because of this, the Batihah was almost invulnerable to attack and its inhabitants were able to maintain their independence for the better part of a century. The Batihah state was founded by a criminal named 'Imran ibn Shahin . He took advantage of the declining authority of the Abbasid Caliphate to establish a state in the marshlands. He steadily expanded his power by drawing other criminals and local fishermen to his side. From 945 onwards
620-569: 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 Sumerians . Notable Tigris-side cities included Nineveh , Ctesiphon , and Seleucia , while the city of Lagash was irrigated by the Tigris via a canal dug around 2900 B.C. The Tigris has long been an important transport route in
651-472: The chamberlain Muzaffar ibn 'Ali , then assumed power. He died in 986 and was succeeded by his sister's son Abu 'l-Hasan 'Ali ibn Nasr . During this time, the Batihah rulers maintained good relations with the Buyids; neither 'Adud al-Dawla or his successor Samsam al-Dawla (983) launched any further expeditions against the swamp. Abu'l-Hasan kept the relations with the Buyids on good terms. During his reign,
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#1732773021048682-432: The city had refused to recognize Baha' al-Dawla as his sole overlord. Abu 'l-'Abbas completed his task successfully, but then marched back and conquered the Batihah. Muhadhdhib al-Dawla was forced to flee to Baghdad, and only after Baha' al-Dawla sent several expeditions in support of him was he able to return to the swamp (in 1006 or 1007). Baha' al-Dawla died in 1012 and was succeeded by Sultan al-Dawla . In around 1017,
713-419: 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. In Sumerian mythology , the Tigris was created by the god Enki , who filled the river with flowing water. In Hittite and Hurrian mythology, Aranzah (or Aranzahas in
744-527: 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. The river featured on the coat of arms of Iraq from 1932 to 1959. Sultan al-Dawla Abu Shuja ( Persian : ابو شجاع ; 993 – December 1024), better known by his laqab of Sultan al-Dawla ( Persian : سلطان الدوله, " Power of
775-573: The neighboring Amirate of Mosul . Qawam al-Dawla, taking advantage of his brother's presence in the west, invaded Fars with the support of the Ghaznavids . The attack failed, but Qawam al-Dawla's attempt marked the division of the Buyid state. After repulsing Qawam al-Dawla's attack, Sultan al-Dawla returned to Iraq in order to solidify his rule there. The marchlands of the region, which had long resisted Buyid authority, were finally subjugated. The Turkic mercenaries, however, became discontented over
806-814: The only part of the river that is located in Syria. Some of its affluences are Garzan, Anbarçayi, Batman , and the Great and the Little Zab . 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 channels branch off (the Al-Musharrah and Al-Kahla ), to feed
837-512: The presence of Sultan al-Dawla's Daylamite troops. They therefore raised a brother of the amir, Musharrif al-Dawla , as their ruler in 1021. After a long series of negotiations, Sultan al-Dawla recognized his brother as "King of Iraq", in exchange for the latter's submission as a vassal. Sultan al-Dawla, however, wanted to retain direct rule over the region, and he invaded with his army. His defeat by Musharrif al-Dawla's forces put an end to this plan, and Iraq became fully independent. The concept of
868-572: The traditional investiture by the Abbasid caliph , but instead had the required materials sent to him. He entrusted his oldest brothers Jalal al-Dawla and Qawam al-Dawla with the governorships of Basra and Kerman , respectively. He stayed in Persia for a long time; when he returned to Iraq three years later, he only went to Ahvaz to meet with his governor. In 1018 Sultan al-Dawla again came to Iraq, in an attempt to maintain friendly terms with
899-629: The two great rivers that define Mesopotamia , the other being the Euphrates . The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts , 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
930-406: The two sides. At one point, he even gave the Batihah ruler control of Lower Wasit , in exchange for an annual tribute of 1.3 million dirhams . As a result of the fighting, one of 'Izz al-Dawla 's sons, Abu Nasr , ended up taking refuge in the Batihah. In 1003 or 1004, Muhadhdhib al-Dawla sent a soldier of fortune named Abu 'l-'Abbas ibn Wasil to wrest Basra from Lashkaristan , who after taking
961-419: Was unsuccessful. His failure in the campaign, as well as his fear of 'Adud al-Dawla's wrath, eventually caused Mutahhar to commit suicide. 'Adud therefore called for an end to fighting, and all he gained was a money payment from Hasan. Shortly after this, Hasan's brother Muhammad succeeded him. In 983 or 984, Muhammad was killed, bringing an end to the power of 'Imran's family. The man responsible for his murder,