Lake Tharthar (also Therthar), and known in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

as Buhayrat ath-Tharthar ( ar, بحيرة الثرثار), is an artificial

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

opened in 1956, situated 100 kilometers (62 mi) northwest of

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

between the

Tigris The Tigris () is the easternmost 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 ...

and the

Euphrates The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers'') ...

rivers.

History

In 1956, the southern part of the Tharthar depression was turned into an artificial reservoir to collect floodwaters of the

River. The water flows via an artificial inlet canal, named Tharthar Canal. The canal diverts the excess water, by means of a regulator

Samarra Barrage The Samarra Barrage ( ar, سد سامَرّاء) is a multi-purpose barrage on the Tigris River adjacent (west) of Samarra and north of Baghdad, Iraq. The main purpose of the dam is to divert floodwater in the Tigris River to Lake Tharthar thr ...

. It merges with the lake in its southeastern bank. The lake has an artificial outlet called Taksim Tharthar Canal, which drains to the

River directly. The canal, after 28 km (17.4 mi) from its outlet, bifurcates to another canal called "Dhira'a Dijla" (arm of tigris) that returns water back to the Tigris River. Lake Tharthar was the site of a

raid Raid, RAID or Raids may refer to: Attack * Raid (military), a sudden attack behind the enemy's lines without the intention of holding ground * Corporate raid, a type of hostile takeover in business * Panty raid, a prankish raid by male college ...

in 2005 against an insurgent training base in the region.

Description

The Tharthar depression was formed during the

Holocene The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togethe ...

age, mainly by

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

ification, due to dissolving of gypsum rocks of the Fatha (nearby area) Formation. Tharthar covers roughly , flows from the central and eastern parts of the

Sinjar Mountains The Sinjar Mountains ( ku, چیایێ شنگالێ, translit=Çiyayê Şingalê, ar, جبل سنجار, translit=Jabal Sinjār, syr, ܛܘܪܐ ܕܫܝܓܪ, Ṭura d'Shingar,) are a mountain range that runs east to west, rising above the surroundi ...

and adjacent hills, with a floor of –3 m, above the sea level. The maximum length and width of the depression are 120 and 48 km, respectively. The eastern rim of the depression is higher than the western one, the heights of both rims are and , respectively. The main purpose of the Tharthar Lake is to collect excess water of the Tigris River during flood seasons and to recharge water to the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers during dry seasons, when there is shortage of water in both rivers. Moreover, it aims to wash out the salts from the stored water in the lake by means of natural continuous draining of the stored water.

Flora and fauna

Tharthar lake and the surrounding areas are considered one of the most important grazing areas in Iraq, including the wide wheat and corn fields covering the area. The area harbors many species of animals and vegetation.

Birds

Tharthar lake is considered the main wintering grounds for many threatened species of migrant birds such as

saker falcon The saker falcon (''Falco cherrug'') is a large species of falcon. This species breeds from central Europe eastwards across the Palearctic to Manchuria. It is mainly migratory except in the southernmost parts of its range, wintering in Ethiopia ...

MacQueen's bustard MacQueen's bustard (''Chlamydotis macqueenii'') is a large bird in the bustard family. It is native to the desert and steppe regions of Asia, west from the Sinai Peninsula extending across Kazakhstan east to Mongolia. In the 19th century, vagrant ...

, and

sociable lapwing The sociable lapwing (''Vanellus gregarius''), historically referred to as the sociable plover, is a wader in the plover family. It is a fully migratory bird, breeding in Kazakhstan and wintering in the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, and Suda ...

. 54 bird species were seen in Tharthar lake including:

pallid harrier The pale or pallid harrier (''Circus macrourus'') is a migratory bird of prey of the harrier subfamily. The scientific name is derived from the Ancient Greek. ''Circus'' is from ''kirkos'', referring to a bird of prey named for its circling fli ...

European roller The European roller (''Coracias garrulus'') is the only member of the roller family of birds to breed in Europe. Its overall range extends into the Middle East, Central Asia and the Maghreb. The European roller is found in a wide variety of ha ...

, and black-tailed godwit (all near threatened) were recorded on passage and the endemic race of

hooded crow The hooded crow (''Corvus cornix''), also called the scald-crow or hoodie, is a Eurasian bird species in the genus ''Corvus''. Widely distributed, it is found across Northern, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, as well as parts of the Middle Eas ...

'Corvus_cornix_capellanus''.html" ;"title="Corvus_cornix_capellanus.html" ;"title="'Corvus cornix capellanus">'Corvus cornix capellanus''">Corvus_cornix_capellanus.html" ;"title="'Corvus cornix capellanus">'Corvus cornix capellanus''was present.

Mammals

Golden jackals have been observed regularly at the site. Striped hyenas and caracals were reported by local people near the lake edge.

Reptiles

Many species of reptiles have been observed such as

Turkish gecko The Mediterranean house gecko (''Hemidactylus turcicus'') is a species of house gecko common to the Mediterranean area which has spread to many parts of the world. It is commonly referred to as the Turkish gecko as represented in its Latin name ...

and Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard.

Fish

Ten fish species have been found in the lake including: ''

Aspius ''Leuciscus'' is a genus of fish belonging to the family Cyprinidae. They are inland water fishes commonly called Eurasian daces. The genus is widespread from Europe to Siberia. Species broadly distributed in Europe include the common dace ''Le ...

vorax'', ''

yellowfin barbel The yellowfin barbel (''Luciobarbus xanthopterus'') is a species of cyprinid fish endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zon ...

'', ''B. luteus'', ''B. sharpeyi'', ''

goldfish The goldfish (''Carassius auratus'') is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It is commonly kept as a pet in indoor aquariums, and is one of the most popular aquarium fish. Goldfish released into the wild have ...

'' , ''Cyprnion kais'', ''

common carp The Eurasian carp or European carp (''Cyprinus carpio''), widely known as the common carp, is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia.Fishbase''Cyprinus carpio'' Linnaeus, 1758/ref>Arkive The ...

'', ''

Silurus ''Silurus'' is a genus of catfishes Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior ...

triostegus'', '' Chondrostoma regium'', and '' Liza abu''.

Plants

Tharthar lake and the surrounding area contains about 38 species of plants. Four main habitat types observed within the Al-Tharthar Lake and Al Dhebaeji Field area: *Inland standing water: aquatic communities – rooted submerged vegetation, characterized by ''

Vallisneria spiralis ''Vallisneria spiralis'', also known as straight vallisneria, tape grass, or eel grass is a common aquarium plant that prefers good light and a nutrient rich substrate. In the wild, it can be found in tropical and sub-tropical regions worldwide ...

'', ''

Potamogeton crispus ''Potamogeton crispus'', the crisp-leaved pondweed, curly pondweed, curly-leaf pondweed or curled pondweed, is a species of aquatic plant (hydrophyte) native to Eurasia but an introduced species and often a noxious weed in North America. Descr ...

'' and ''

Potamogeton perfoliatus ''Potamogeton perfoliatus'' (claspingleaf pondweed, perfoliate pondweed, redhead grass) is a perennial aquatic plant in the family Potamogetonaceae occurring in both standing and flowing freshwater habitats. It is widely distributed globally, o ...

''. *Flooded communities: periodically or occasionally flooded land dominated by ''

Cyperus ''Cyperus'' is a large genus of about 700 species of sedges, distributed throughout all continents in both tropical and temperate regions. Description They are annual or perennial plants, mostly aquatic and growing in still or slow-moving w ...

'' sp., ''

Rumex dentatus ''Rumex dentatus'' is a species of flowering plant in the Polygonaceae, knotweed family known by the common names toothed dock and Aegean dock. It is native to parts of Eurasia and North Africa, and it is widely known elsewhere as an introduced s ...

'', ''

Polygonum argyrocoleon ''Polygonum argyrocoleon'', common names silver-sheath knotweed and Persian knotweed, is an Asian species of plants in the buckwheat family. It is native to Siberia, western China, Central Asia, and the Middle East. It has also become naturalize ...

'', ''

Polygonum ''Polygonum'' is a genus of about 130 species of flowering plant in the buckwheat and knotweed family Polygonaceae. Common names include knotweed and knotgrass (though the common names may refer more broadly to plants from Polygonaceae). In the ...

'' sp. and ''

Bacopa monnieri ''Bacopa monnieri'' is a perennial, creeping herb native to the wetlands of southern and Eastern India, Australia, Europe, Africa, Asia, and North and South America. It is known by the common names water hyssop, waterhyssop, brahmi, thyme-leafed ...

''. *Marsh vegetation: helophytic vegetation - reedbeds, characterized by ''

Phragmites australis ''Phragmites australis'', known as the common reed, is a species of plant. It is a broadly distributed wetland grass that can grow up to tall. Description ''Phragmites australis'' commonly forms extensive stands (known as reed beds), which may ...

''. *Terrestrial vegetation: desert shrub characterized by ''

Tamarix The genus ''Tamarix'' (tamarisk, salt cedar, taray) is composed of about 50–60 species of flowering plants in the family Tamaricaceae, native to drier areas of Eurasia and Africa. The generic name originated in Latin and may refer to the Tam ...

'' sp., '' Alhagi maurorum'', ''Atraplex leucoclada'' and ''Cornulaca aucheri''.

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, Iraq Geography of Iraq

Tharthar Lake Tharthar (also Therthar), and known in Iraq as Buhayrat ath-Tharthar ( ar, بحيرة الثرثار), is an artificial lake opened in 1956, situated 100 kilometers (62 mi) northwest of Baghdad between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers. H ...

Extreme points of Earth

History

Description

Flora and fauna

Birds

Mammals

Reptiles

Fish

Plants

See also

References

External links