Tigris

The Tigris (ˈtaɪɡrɪs ; see below) is the eastern of 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, and empties into the Persian Gulf. The Ancient Greek form Tigris (Τίγρις) is an alternative form of Tígrēs (Τίγρης), which was adapted from Old Persian (t-i-g-r-a /Tigrā/), itself from Elamite Tigra, itself from Sumerian (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 a higher bed than the Tigris. The Sumerian form was borrowed into Akkadian as Idiqlat and from there into the other Semitic languages (compare חִדֶּקֶל‎ Ḥîddéqel, דיגלת‎, דיקגלת‎ diqlāṯ or diglāṯ, ܕܩܠܬ‎ Deqlāṯ, دجلة Dijlah). Another name for the Tigris used in Middle Persian was Arvand Rud, literally "swift river". Today, however, Arvand Rud (اروندرود) refers to the confluence of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, known in Arabic as the Shatt al-Arab. 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: The Tigris is long, rising in the Taurus Mountains of eastern Turkey about southeast of the city of Elazığ and about from the headwaters of the Euphrates. The river then flows for through Southeastern Turkey before becoming part of the Syria-Turkey border. This stretch of is 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.