Shatt al-Arab

The Shatt al-Arab is a river.

It is in Iraq.

Two big rivers join to make it. One river is called the Tigris. The other is the Euphrates.

The river flows into the sea. It also flows near Iran. This river makes a border between the two lands.

Many palm trees used to grow here. They made a very large forest. Now, there are fewer trees.

People use the river for boats. It is an important place to see.

The Shatt al-Arab is a big river in southern Iraq.

It starts where two other rivers meet. These are the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

The river flows south to the Persian Gulf. It also forms a border between Iraq and Iran.

This area was once home to a huge forest. It had the largest group of date palms in the world. In the mid-1970s, there were about 17 to 18 million palm trees there. That was one-fifth of all the palm trees on Earth! Sadly, many trees died later. War, salt, and pests wiped out over 14 million palms by 2002.

This old coat of arms shows the river and the forest.

People use the river for many things. Boats travel on the water to move goods. A river called the Karun joins the Shatt al-Arab. It brings in a lot of silt, which is fine sand or mud. People must dredge the river to keep it deep enough for ships.

You can see people using boats on the water today.

The Shatt al-Arab is a very important river in southern Iraq.

It begins at a place called al-Qurnah. This is where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet to form one large waterway. From there, the river flows south until it reaches the Persian Gulf. The river also serves as a border between the countries of Iraq and Iran.

In Iran, people call this river the Arvand Rud. In Iraq, it is known as the Dijla al-Awara.

This river is a busy place for many different reasons. A river named the Karun flows into the Shatt al-Arab from the Iranian side. This tributary brings a lot of silt into the main river. Silt is fine sand or mud that settles on the bottom. Because of this, people must use machines to dredge the river. Dredging keeps the water deep enough for big ships to pass through.

Without this work, the waterway would become too shallow for travel.

Long ago, this area was famous for its beautiful plants. It used to hold the largest forest of date palms in the world. In the middle of the 1970s, there were about 17 to 18 million palm trees here. This was about one-fifth of all the date palms on Earth! Sadly, many of these trees were lost over time. By 2002, more than 14 million palms had died. War, salt, and pests caused this loss.

Only about 3 to 4 million trees remained, and many were not healthy.

History shows that many leaders have fought over this river. During the 1500s and 1600s, the Ottoman and Safavid empires competed for control. Different treaties, like the Treaty of Zuhab in 1639, tried to set borders. However, the exact line in the south was often unclear. In 1937, Iraq and Iran signed a treaty to settle things. They used a rule called the thalweg to find the border. The thalweg is the deepest line in the middle of the river bed.

Control of the river has caused many big conflicts. In 1980, Iraq invaded Iran, and much of the fighting happened near this water. The river is the only way for Iraq to reach the Persian Gulf by sea. This makes the waterway a very important target during wars. Even after the wars ended, the river remained a key place for many nations.

Today, the river continues to be a vital path for ships and people.

The Shatt al-Arab is a major river in the Middle East.

It forms at the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. This meeting point is located in the town of al-Qurnah. This town is in the Basra Governorate of southern Iraq. The river flows south until it reaches the Persian Gulf. In this southern section, the river serves as the border between Iraq and Iran.

People in Iran call the river the Arvand Rud. In Iraq, it is known as the Dijla al-Awara. The river is a vital waterway for shipping and regional geography.

Geologically, the river is a relatively recent formation. Originally, the Tigris and Euphrates emptied into the Persian Gulf through a different channel. This channel was located further to the west. The river receives a major tributary called the Karun from the Iranian side. The Karun River carries large amounts of silt into the Shatt al-Arab. Silt is fine sand or mud that settles on the riverbed. This buildup makes the water shallow. To keep the river navigable for big ships, workers must perform continuous dredging. Dredging involves removing the silt from the bottom of the waterway.

Historically, the Shatt al-Arab was home to a massive natural resource. The region once contained the largest date palm forest on Earth. In the mid-1970s, there were between 17 and 18 million date palms. This represented about one-fifth of the 90 million palm trees in the world. However, this forest suffered a massive decline. By 2002, more than 14 million palms had been destroyed. This loss was caused by war, salt, and pests. Only about 3 to 4 million trees remained by 2002. Many of these surviving trees were in poor health.

Control of the river has been a source of conflict for centuries. During the Ottoman-Safavid era, empires fought for its territory. In the 16th century, the Safavids held much of what is now Iraq. They later lost these lands to the Ottomans following the Peace of Amasya in 1555. The Safavids regained control under Shah Abbas I in the early 17th century. However, the Treaty of Zuhab in 1639 eventually ceded the river to the Ottomans. Later, the Treaty of Kerden in 1746 restored those same boundaries. For a long time, no one could agree on a fixed southern border.

In the 20th century, new treaties attempted to define the boundary. In 1937, Iraq and Iran signed a treaty to settle their dispute. This treaty used the thalweg principle to set the border. The thalweg is the line of the deepest point in the river channel. Most of the river was under Iraqi control under this agreement. However, Iran felt this was unfair because most ships using the river were Iranian. In 1969, Iran decided to cancel the 1937 treaty. This led to high tensions between the two nations.

These tensions eventually led to the Iran-Iraq War from 1980 to 1988. The Shatt al-Arab was a primary stage for military battles. The waterway is Iraq's only outlet to the Persian Gulf. This makes it a critical target for controlling shipping lanes. During the conflict, Iranian attacks affected Iraq's ability to use the sea. In 1986, the Iranian capture of the Al-Faw peninsula halted much of Iraq's shipping. Iraq eventually recaptured Al-Faw in April 1988. After the war, both nations agreed to return to the 1975 Algiers Accord. This agreement used the thalweg as the official border.

The river has also been central to more recent history. During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, coalition forces targeted the waterway. Capturing the river was important for delivering humanitarian aid. It also helped stop naval blockades against Iraq. The United Kingdom was tasked by the United Nations to patrol the area. They monitored the river mouth until 2007 to prevent the transport of munitions. Eventually, the UK trained Iraqi naval units to guard the waters. Today, the Shatt al-Arab remains a vital and complex part of the region.