Tigris River

Quick Facts

• Type: River
• Length: About 1,750 km
• Source: Eastern Turkey
• Mouth: Joins the Euphrates to form the Shatt al-Arab

Overview

The Tigris is one of the two great rivers of Mesopotamia and a defining feature of Iraq’s geography. It rises in eastern Turkey and flows southeast across Iraq before joining the Euphrates.

The river has shaped settlement patterns, agriculture, and urban life for millennia.

Landscape and Culture

Along its course, the Tigris passes major cities and irrigated plains, supporting farming, fisheries, and transport. It remains a central symbol in Kurdish and Iraqi historical memory.

Notes

Several tributaries from the Zagros, including the Great and Little Zab, feed the Tigris in northern Iraq.