An exploration of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers that discusses their geologic histories and natural resources, and explores how they are used by humans and efforts to protect them.

Discusses the two Fertile Crescent rivers, including their significant role in all periods of the history of the region, their geographical features, and the modern-day environmental and political issues surrounding their use.

The Tigris and Euphrates rivers run through the heart of the Middle East and merge in the area of Mesopotamia known as the "cradle of civilization." In their long and volatile political history, the sixteenth century ushered in a rare era of stability and integration. A series of military campaigns between the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf brought the entirety of their flow under the institutional control of the Ottoman Empire, then at the peak of its power and wealth. Rivers of the Sultan tells the history of the Tigris and Euphrates during the early modern period. Under the leadership of Sultan Süleyman I, the rivers became Ottoman from mountain to ocean, managed by a political elite that pledged allegiance to a single household, professed a common religion, spoke a lingua franca, and received orders from a central administration based in Istanbul. Faisal Husain details how Ottoman unification institutionalized cooperation among the rivers' dominant users and improved the exploitation of their waters for navigation and food production. Istanbul harnessed the energy and resources of the rivers for its security and economic needs through a complex network of forts, canals, bridges, and shipyards. Above all, the imperial approach to river management rebalanced the natural resource disparity within the Tigris-Euphrates basin. Istanbul regularly organized shipments of grain, metal, and timber from upstream areas of surplus in Anatolia to downstream areas of need in Iraq. Through this policy of natural resource redistribution, the Ottoman Empire strengthened its presence in the eastern borderland region with the Safavid Empire and fended off challenges to its authority. Placing these world historic bodies of water at its center, Rivers of the Sultan reveals intimate bonds between state and society, metropole and periphery, and nature and culture in the early modern world.

Due to a variety of reasons, water resources on the globe are becoming scarcer. The degree of water scarcity and its political, economic and social implications are felt more severely in regions like the Middle East. The Euphrates-Tigris river basin is one of the major sources of water, but also a source of tension in the region. Unless cooperation is achieved among the riparian countries, namely Turkey, Syria and Iraq, in the areas of management, allocation and utilisation of the waters of the Euphrates-Tigris basin, growing scarcity may result not only in conflict, but also in further devastation of an extremely vital source. Recently, water has become a subject matter of international law, and formal and informal deliberations in international conferences have produced general principles and norms for using and managing water resources effectively. Hence, this book is an attempt to put together a meaningful set of principles, norms, rules, and decision-making procedures of a region-specific regime framework for effective utilisation of the waters of the Euphrates-Tigris river basin with a view to promoting cooperation among the riparian countries.

This book by a renowned environmental lawyer and scholar proposes a regime scheme that is not only based soundly on existing treaties concerning access rights to fresh water, but also on the human rights of persons dependent on rivers and lakes for water and food. Focusing on the Tigris-Euphrates basin, which is shared by Iraq, Syria, and Turkey, Professor Elver explores the transnational arrangements among these three countries for the allocation of river resources. The author clearly exposes the potential for conflict, and sets forth the role that international law can play in resolving such conflict and protecting the human rights of local populations. Published under the Transnational Publishers imprint.

Interdisciplinary volume considers how nine arid/semi-arid river basins with irrigated agriculture will survive future climate change, siltation, and decreased flow.