Balikh River
| Balikh | |
| Arabic: البليخ | |
| River | |
| Country | Syria |
|---|---|
| Basin area | Turkey |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Jullab, Wadi al-Kheder |
| - right | Wadi Qaramogh |
| Cities | Tal Abyad, Raqqa |
| Source | 'Ayn al-'Arus |
| - elevation | 350 m (1,148 ft) approx. |
| - coordinates | 36°40′13″N 38°56′24″E / 36.67028°N 38.94000°E |
| Mouth | Euphrates |
| - elevation | 250 m (820 ft) approx. |
| - coordinates | 35°55′21″N 39°4′40″E / 35.92250°N 39.07778°ECoordinates: 35°55′21″N 39°4′40″E / 35.92250°N 39.07778°E |
| Length | 100 km (62 mi) approx. |
| Width | 0.006 km (0 mi) |
| Depth | 0.0015 m (0 ft) |
| Basin | 14,400 km2 (5,560 sq mi) |
| Discharge | for 'Ayn al-'Arus |
| - average | 6 m3/s (212 cu ft/s) |
| - max | 12 m3/s (424 cu ft/s) |
| - min | 5 m3/s (177 cu ft/s) |
The Balikh River is a perennial river that originates in the spring of 'Ayn al-'Arus in Syria. It flows due south and joins the Euphrates at the modern town of Raqqa. After the Khabur River, the Balikh is the largest tributary to the Euphrates on Syrian soil. It is an important source of water and large parts have recently been subjected to canalization.
The primary source of the Balikh River is the karstic spring of 'Ayn al-'Arus, just south of the Syro-Turkish border. Additionally, the Balikh receives water from a number of periodical streams and wadis that drain the Harran Plain to the north, as well as the plains to the west and east of the river valley. These streams are the Jullab, the Wadi Qaramogh, and the Wadi al-Kheder.
A few kilometres south of 'Ayn al-'Arus, the Balikh is joined by the channel of the Jullab. This small river rises from springs north of Şanlıurfa, but already runs dry at Harran, before it can reach the Balikh. Numerous now dried-up wells in the old city of Harran suggest, however, that the water table may have been significantly higher in the past.
The Wadi al-Kheder drains the plain to the east of the Balikh Valley, and is fed by the Wadi al-Burj and the Wadi al-Hamar, which in turn is fed by the Wadi Chuera. These wadis, as well as the Wadi Qaramogh, can transport considerable amounts of water after heavy rainfall, and large limestone blocks can be found in their lower courses.
The Balikh river forms the heart of a rich cultural region. On both banks are numerous settlement mounds dating back in some cases to at least the Late Neolithic, the 6th millennium BCE. In the Bronze Age (3rd millennium BCE) ancient Tuttul (close to present-day Raqqa at the delta of the Balikh) and Tell Chuera in the north (in the Wadi Hamad close to the Balikh) were important cities. Over the millennia the region saw ongoing interaction between nomadic tribes and settled populations. One sometimes got the upper hand over the other.
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Wikipedia