Tigris River: The Origin of Human Civilization

The mighty Tigris River is where humans first developed agriculture, writing and the wheel. But this river, once the lifeblood of the ancient world, is facing threats.

Tigris River: The Origin of Human Civilization

The mighty Tigris River is where humans first developed agriculture, writing and the wheel. But this river, once the lifeblood of the ancient world, is facing threats.

Reaching the source of the Tigris is a challenging journey. The dirt road ends in a small path that leads over the shoulder of a rugged mountain. It gradually becomes a narrow, treacherous trail that winds up the hillside until it reaches streams. These form a rapid stream that flows into a large tunnel. About 1.5 kilometers in, another river appears, but less violent.

The ancient Assyrians believed that this was the meeting place of the material and spiritual worlds. Three thousand years ago, their armies traveled upstream to perform rituals and make offerings to the gods. A relief of Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria from 1114 to 1076 BC, still stands at the entrance to the tunnel. Despite the effects of time, the relief still stands tall and solemn, pointing out over his vast empire.

The Tigris River originates in Turkey , flowing southeast out of the Taurus Mountains. It flows along the northeastern edge of Syria and then passes through cities such as Mosul, Tikrit and Samarra before reaching the Iraqi capital Baghdad. In southern Iraq, the Tigris joins the Euphrates River near the Mesopotamian marshes and together they flow into the Persian Gulf.

The Tigris River originates in Türkiye.

About 8,000 years ago, our hunter-gatherer ancestors settled in the floodplains between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Here they began farming and raising livestock; this is why many people call the area the "cradle of human civilization." From the first cities such as Eridu, Ur and Uruk, humans made important inventions such as the wheel and writing, followed by legal systems, sailing, brewing beer, love songs and many others.

Due to the years of conflict in modern Iraq, the important role the Tigris River has played in shaping and protecting human history is easily forgotten.

Diyarbakır is one of the major settlements along the Tigris River and is the largest Kurdish-inhabited city in Türkiye.

About 80km from where the Tigris River begins in Eğil, Turkey, lies an ancient Assyrian castle . Over time, the castle's ramparts have been modified and altered by the Greek, Armenian, Byzantine, Roman and Ottoman civilizations that lived along the river. Further downstream in the city of Diyarbakır, Turkey, is a fortress that dates back to the Bronze Age. Today, the city serves as the unofficial capital of Kurdish Turkey. In its labyrinthine alleys, a basalt courtyard shaded by mulberry trees serves as a resting place; the sound echoes off the walls.

There, Feleknaz Aslan sat on a bench, her hands to her ears. She was a dengbêj , a Kurdish storyteller through song; their ancestors had passed down history and folktales through this medium for generations.

The Song of Aslan tells a tragic love story along the banks of the Tigris River. And although dengbêj was created by women, most of the singers today are men. Dengbêj is a way to preserve their identity and culture, and the Tigris River is a common backdrop in the songs. The river plays a central role in the lives of the Kurds in the region, both past and present.`

To the southeast of Diyarbakır, the Tigris River carves a deep gorge through the Tur Abdin region of the Taurus Mountains . For centuries, this was the center and most important area for the ancient Syrian Orthodox Church, whose roots date back to the earliest days of Christian history. Mor Evgin, a 4th-century monastery built into the side of the cliff here, seems to be held together by faith alone.

Inside, the plasterwork was covered by some of the world's earliest Christians and intricate Syriac writing still adorns the walls. It serves as a reminder of how the fertile lands around the Tigris River played a vital role in the development and spread of Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) around the world.

Access to the Tigris River is often challenging. In Turkey, navigation on the river is complicated by a series of controversial dam projects. In Syria, the Tigris is an international border. It is only when you reach Mosul , a city bisected by the river, that travel becomes more comfortable.

Mosul is one of the oldest cities in the world.

During the period when ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, another name for IS) controlled the city of Mosul from 2014 to 2017, the use of the Tigris River was banned. As a result, the Old City of Mosul, located on the west bank of the river, was considered the last stronghold of IS. During the fighting, all bridges in Mosul across the river were destroyed and some IS fighters jumped into the Tigris to escape the final battle.

Historically, the river has been a unifying and connecting factor between the city and its people. However, during the ISIS era, the river became a focal point of conflict, witnessing the changing fortunes of the city as well as the challenges it faced.

The Arabic name for Mosul is Al-Mawsiil, meaning "the connecting point". This may be because the city was once an important trade crossroads and a major hub along the Tigris River, connecting Diyarbakır and Basra.

Mosul was founded in the 7th century BC , making it one of the oldest cities in the world. At its height in the 12th century AD, Mosul not only held great power and influence over the region, but also had a diverse population of different ethnicities and religions. The blend of cultures made Mosul a place of rich and diverse culture. While much of Mosul has been destroyed by ISIS, the enduring spirit of the old city remains.

"People think we have nothing left. But after all, there are so many things along the Tigris that still exist. And what's more, Iraqis always rebuild. We will never accept destruction," said Salman Khairalla, co-founder of the Tigris River Guardians Association.

Mosul's 12th-century al-Nuri Grand Mosque is being rebuilt with huge funding from UNESCO and the UAE. A community cultural revival is also taking place in the city. Opposite the al-Nuri Mosque is Baytna, which means "our house" in Arabic.

The space is a renovated old Ottoman house; young artists from Mosul use it as a multi-purpose facility, serving as a museum, cafe, and event venue. 'We don't want people to forget what happened here. But we want to create job opportunities, and a place to support people with skills,' says Sara Salem Al-Dabbagh, one of the space's founders.

The ancient gate leading into Ashur, the first capital of the Assyrian empire.

The Tigris leads to Ashur, the first capital of the Assyrian empire, where a 4,000-year-old ziggurat looms over the river. Across the desert is Nimrud, the capital of the ancient Assyrian empire, and the more than 2,000-year-old city of Hatra. All three were destroyed by IS, but local teams of archaeologists are trying to protect the sites, even with the limited resources available.

Despite being a place known for war and hostility, hospitality is still present. Even during Ramadan (when Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn to sunset), hosts still prepare tea during the fast. Large meals, often with goat meat as the main course, are served even in the poorest villages.

In the village of Kifrij, the mayor shared the story of two young shepherds who risked their lives to help people escape ISIS-held areas across the Tigris at night with nothing more than a tractor inner tube. Despite the recent violence, the generosity of the people remains, and they are willing to help strangers. Like the bend of the Tigris, the river is woven through these stories—as a boundary between life and death, but also as a way to demonstrate kindness.

The Mandaeans believe that the Tigris River is sacred.

The Mandaeans are the smallest and perhaps oldest ethno-religious group in Iraq. The Mandaeans practice regular baptisms as a way to nurture their spiritual connection and purify themselves of sin. These baptisms take place while the river is flowing, and the Tigris, one of the two rivers that originally helped their faith grow, is still inhabited by many Mandaeans.

In the distance, a priest leads eight women through a ritual and recites prayers in Mandaic, an ancient Aramaic dialect that this community is the only one to preserve and still speak. 'The water here is like the next universe,' the priest's assistant says, suggesting that the river's water is sacred, as if it comes from a realm beyond the cosmos.

"Iraqis always have hope. Whatever the generation before us did, we can change it," Khairalla said.

Despite its importance to the Mandaeans and many other communities, the Tigris River is in danger. But activists like Khairalla, the archaeologist in Ashur, and the Mosul artists reviving their culture are steadfast in their commitment to protecting the river, despite the challenges and threats it faces.