Sajur River
Encyclopedia
The Sājūr River is a 108 kilometres (67.1 mi) long river originating in Turkey
and flowing into the Euphrates
in Syria
. It is the smallest of the three rivers joining the Euphrates in Syria, and the only one that joins the Euphrates on its right bank. Occupation in the Sājūr basin started in the Lower Palaeolithic
period and continues until today.
. From there, the Sājūr flows southeast until it crosses the Syro–Turkish border. The river then continues in a roughly easterly direction until it joins the Euphrates on its right bank in the area that is flooded by the Tishrin Dam
reservoir. In Syria, the river cuts a valley into the Manbij Plain that is between 20 and 100 m (65.6 and 328.1 ) below the level of the plain, and up to 500 metres (1,640.4 ft) wide. Average discharge
is 4.1 cubic metres (144.8 cu ft) per second. Maximum discharge, occurring in the months February and March, is 7 cubic metres (247.2 cu ft) per second, while minimum discharge, recorded for June–October, is 1.4 cubic metres (49.4 cu ft) per second. Average annual discharge is 0.14 cubic kilometre (0.0335877862046001 cu mi). Both in terms of length, as well as discharge, the Sājūr is the smallest of the three rivers that join the Euphrates on Syrian soil – the other two being the Balikh and the Khabur
. The Sājūr is also the only river in Syria that enters the Euphrates on its right bank; both the Balikh and the Khabur flow into the Euphrates on the left bank.
a total area of 2042 square kilometres (788.4 sq mi). The Syrian part of the Sājūr basin – the Manbij Plain – has been particularly well-studied. This area is bounded on the north by the Syro–Turkish border and extends as far south as Manbij. To the west, the Manbij Plain is bordered by basalt
outcrops; probably the remains of a Pliocene
volcano
. In the southeast of the plain, limestone
outcrops force the Euphrates into the gorge of Qara Quzaq. These outcrops reach a height of 80 – over the plain. Reaching heights of 500 – amsl
in the north, west and south, the Manbij Plain slopes down to 420 metres (1,378 ft) amsl toward the east. In the western part of the drainage basin, flat grounds with fertile red-brown soils can be found, and this area is suitable for agriculture. Toward the east and along the Sājūr, the plain is dissected by numerous wadis, making these parts of the area less suitable for human occupation and agriculture. The Manbij Plain experiences a continental climate
. Average temperatures range from 5 °C (41 °F) in January to 30 °C (86 °F) in July. Annual average precipitation is 300 millimetres (11.8 in), but ranges from a minimum of 141 millimetres (5.6 in) per year in dry years to 424 millimetres (16.7 in) per year in exceptionally wet years. Although much of the area is cultivated today, combined palaeobotanical
, climate and vegetation research suggest that the basin would support a xeric woodland
vegetation with open oak
forest and Rosaceae
(rose/plum family) in the absence of human activity.
stone artefacts. Middle Palaeolithic
artefacts have been found as well.
purposes. Since the 19th century, occupation in and cultivation of the Sājūr basin have steadily increased, especially in the western, more fertile part of the area. The introduction of motorized pumps has led to a considerable decrease of the groundwater table, with the effect that many wells have dried up. Turkey has built the Kayacık Dam
on the Ayfinar Deresi, one of the two streams that join to form the Sajur. This 45 metres (147.6 ft) high dam creates a reservoir
with a surface area of 11 square kilometres (4.2 sq mi). From this reservoir, an area of 200 square kilometres (77.2 sq mi) is irrigated. A dam
with a planned reservoir capacity of 0.0098 cubic kilometre (0.00235114503432201 cu mi) is under construction on the Syrian part of the Sajour. The city of Aleppo
disposes part of its wastewater into the Sājūr drainage system.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and flowing into the Euphrates
Euphrates
The Euphrates 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...
in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. It is the smallest of the three rivers joining the Euphrates in Syria, and the only one that joins the Euphrates on its right bank. Occupation in the Sājūr basin started in the Lower Palaeolithic
Lower Paleolithic
The Lower Paleolithic is the earliest subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. It spans the time from around 2.5 million years ago when the first evidence of craft and use of stone tools by hominids appears in the current archaeological record, until around 300,000 years ago, spanning the...
period and continues until today.
Course
The Sājūr River is 108 kilometres (67.1 mi) long, of which 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) in Turkey and 48 kilometres (29.8 mi) in Syria. It is fed by two streams which join south of GaziantepGaziantep
Gaziantep , Ottoman Turkish: Ayintab) previously and still informally called Antep; ʻayn tāb is a city in southeast Turkey and amongst the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. The city is located 185 kilometres northeast of Adana and 127 kilometres by road north of Aleppo, Syria...
. From there, the Sājūr flows southeast until it crosses the Syro–Turkish border. The river then continues in a roughly easterly direction until it joins the Euphrates on its right bank in the area that is flooded by the Tishrin Dam
Tishrin Dam
The Tishrin Dam is a dam on the Euphrates, located east of Aleppo in Aleppo Governorate, Syria. The dam is high and has 6 water turbines capable of producing 630 MW. Construction lasted between 1991 and 1999...
reservoir. In Syria, the river cuts a valley into the Manbij Plain that is between 20 and 100 m (65.6 and 328.1 ) below the level of the plain, and up to 500 metres (1,640.4 ft) wide. Average discharge
Discharge (hydrology)
In hydrology, discharge is the volume rate of water flow, including any suspended solids , dissolved chemical species and/or biologic material , which is transported through a given cross-sectional area...
is 4.1 cubic metres (144.8 cu ft) per second. Maximum discharge, occurring in the months February and March, is 7 cubic metres (247.2 cu ft) per second, while minimum discharge, recorded for June–October, is 1.4 cubic metres (49.4 cu ft) per second. Average annual discharge is 0.14 cubic kilometre (0.0335877862046001 cu mi). Both in terms of length, as well as discharge, the Sājūr is the smallest of the three rivers that join the Euphrates on Syrian soil – the other two being the Balikh and the Khabur
Khabur River
The Khabur River , , , ) is the largest perennial tributary to the Euphrates in Syrian territory. Although the Khabur originates in Turkey, the karstic springs around Ra's al-'Ayn are the river's main source of water. Several important wadis join the Khabur north of Al-Hasakah, together creating...
. The Sājūr is also the only river in Syria that enters the Euphrates on its right bank; both the Balikh and the Khabur flow into the Euphrates on the left bank.
Drainage basin
The Sājūr drainsDrainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
a total area of 2042 square kilometres (788.4 sq mi). The Syrian part of the Sājūr basin – the Manbij Plain – has been particularly well-studied. This area is bounded on the north by the Syro–Turkish border and extends as far south as Manbij. To the west, the Manbij Plain is bordered by basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
outcrops; probably the remains of a Pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
. In the southeast of the plain, limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
outcrops force the Euphrates into the gorge of Qara Quzaq. These outcrops reach a height of 80 – over the plain. Reaching heights of 500 – amsl
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
in the north, west and south, the Manbij Plain slopes down to 420 metres (1,378 ft) amsl toward the east. In the western part of the drainage basin, flat grounds with fertile red-brown soils can be found, and this area is suitable for agriculture. Toward the east and along the Sājūr, the plain is dissected by numerous wadis, making these parts of the area less suitable for human occupation and agriculture. The Manbij Plain experiences a continental climate
Continental climate
Continental climate is a climate characterized by important annual variation in temperature due to the lack of significant bodies of water nearby...
. Average temperatures range from 5 °C (41 °F) in January to 30 °C (86 °F) in July. Annual average precipitation is 300 millimetres (11.8 in), but ranges from a minimum of 141 millimetres (5.6 in) per year in dry years to 424 millimetres (16.7 in) per year in exceptionally wet years. Although much of the area is cultivated today, combined palaeobotanical
Paleobotany
Paleobotany, also spelled as palaeobotany , is the branch of paleontology or paleobiology dealing with the recovery and identification of plant remains from geological contexts, and their use for the biological reconstruction of past environments , and both the evolutionary history of plants, with a...
, climate and vegetation research suggest that the basin would support a xeric woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
vegetation with open oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
forest and Rosaceae
Rosaceae
Rosaceae are a medium-sized family of flowering plants, including about 2830 species in 95 genera. The name is derived from the type genus Rosa. Among the largest genera are Alchemilla , Sorbus , Crataegus , Cotoneaster , and Rubus...
(rose/plum family) in the absence of human activity.
History
Occupation of the Sājūr river basin started as early as the Lower Palaeolithic period, as evidenced by AcheuleanAcheulean
Acheulean is the name given to an archaeological industry of stone tool manufacture associated with early humans during the Lower Palaeolithic era across Africa and much of West Asia, South Asia and Europe. Acheulean tools are typically found with Homo erectus remains...
stone artefacts. Middle Palaeolithic
Middle Paleolithic
The Middle Paleolithic is the second subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. The term Middle Stone Age is used as an equivalent or a synonym for the Middle Paleolithic in African archeology. The Middle Paleolithic and the Middle Stone Age...
artefacts have been found as well.
Economy
Both Turkey and Syria use water from the Sājūr for irrigationIrrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
purposes. Since the 19th century, occupation in and cultivation of the Sājūr basin have steadily increased, especially in the western, more fertile part of the area. The introduction of motorized pumps has led to a considerable decrease of the groundwater table, with the effect that many wells have dried up. Turkey has built the Kayacık Dam
Kayacık Dam
The Kayacık Dam impounds the Ayfinar Deresi, one of the two streams that join south of Gaziantep to form the Sajur River. It is located in Gaziantep Province, Turkey. The dam was constructed between 1993 and 2005 as part of the Southeastern Anatolia Project . It is high and has a volume of...
on the Ayfinar Deresi, one of the two streams that join to form the Sajur. This 45 metres (147.6 ft) high dam creates a reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
with a surface area of 11 square kilometres (4.2 sq mi). From this reservoir, an area of 200 square kilometres (77.2 sq mi) is irrigated. A dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
with a planned reservoir capacity of 0.0098 cubic kilometre (0.00235114503432201 cu mi) is under construction on the Syrian part of the Sajour. The city of Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
disposes part of its wastewater into the Sājūr drainage system.