Concept

Euphrates

Summary
The Euphrates (juːˈfreɪtiːz ; see below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (the land between the rivers). Originating in Turkey, the Euphrates flows through Syria and Iraq to join the Tigris in the Shatt al-Arab, which empties into the Persian Gulf. The Euphrates is the fifteenth-longest river in Asia and the longest in Western Asia, at about , and has a drainage area of that covers six countries. The term Euphrates derives from the Greek Euphrátēs (Εὐφρᾱ́της), presumably from εὖ (eû) "good" and φράζω (phrázō) "I announce or declare". The Greek form Euphrátēs was adapted from 𐎢𐎳𐎼𐎠𐎬𐎢, itself from 𒌑𒅁𒊏𒌅𒅖. The Elamite name is ultimately derived from a name spelt in cuneiform 𒌓𒄒𒉣 , which read as Sumerian is Buranuna and read as Akkadian is Purattu; many cuneiform signs have a Sumerian pronunciation and an Akkadian pronunciation, taken from a Sumerian word and an Akkadian word that mean the same. The Akkadian Purattu has been perpetuated in Semitic languages (cf. الفرات al-Furāt; ̇ܦܪܬ Pǝrāṯ, פְּרָת Pǝrāṯ) and in other nearby languages of the time (cf. Hurrian Puranti, Sabarian Uruttu). The Elamite, Akkadian, and possibly Sumerian forms are suggested to be from an unrecorded substrate language. Tamaz V. Gamkrelidze and Vyacheslav Ivanov suggest the proto-Sumerian *burudu "copper" (Sumerian urudu) as an origin, with an explanation that Euphrates was the river by which copper ore was transported in rafts, since Mesopotamia was the center of copper metallurgy during the period. The Euphrates is called Yeprat in Armenian (Եփրատ), Perat in modern Hebrew (פרת), Fırat in Turkish and Firat in Kurdish. The Mandaic name is Praš (ࡐࡓࡀࡔ), and is often mentioned as Praš Ziwa (pronounced Fraš Ziwa) in Mandaean scriptures such as the Ginza Rabba. In Mandaean scriptures, the Euphrates is considered to be the earthly manifestation of the heavenly yardna or flowing river (similar to the Yazidi concept of Lalish being the earthly manifestation of its heavenly counterpart).
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