The Halabiye Dam (or Zalabiye Dam) is a proposed dam on the
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 ( ''the land between the rivers''). Originating in Turkey, the Eup ...
in
Deir ez-Zor Governorate,
Syria. It will be the fourth and most southern dam on the Syrian Euphrates, after the
Tishrin Dam
The Tishrin Dam ( ar, سد تشرين, Sadd Tišrīn, lit=October Dam, ku, بەنداڤا تشرین, Bendava Tişrîn, syc, ܣܟܪܐ ܕܬܫܪܝܢ, Sekro d'Teshrin) is a dam on the Euphrates, located east of Aleppo in Aleppo Governorate, Syri ...
, the
Tabqa Dam
The Tabqa Dam ( ar, سَدُّ الطَّبْقَةِ, Sadd aṭ-Ṭabqah, ku, Bendava Tebqa; syc, ܣܟܪܐ ܕܛܒܩܗ, Sekro d'Tabqa), or al-Thawra Dam as it is also named ( ar, سَدُّ الثَّوْرَةِ, Sadd aṯ-Ṯawrah, ku, Bendav ...
and the
Baath Dam.
Project
The proposed location for the dam is the narrow gap in the Euphrates valley northwest of
Deir ez-Zor
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that is created by
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...
outcrops on the left and right river banks. It is expected that dry areas will be brought under cultivation with irrigation water provided by the dam.
In preparation of this project, the director of the Syrian
Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums
The Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums (DGAM; ar, المديرية العامة للآثار والمتاحف, french: La Direction Générale des Antiquités et des Musées) is a Syrian government owned agency that is responsible fo ...
(DGAM) appealed in 2009 to international teams of archaeologists to participate in the
rescue excavations of the archaeological sites that would be threatened by the construction of the dam and the flooding of its
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
. These excavations were expected to be carried out between 2010 and 2012. The sites that are threatened are located in the area that is projected to be flooded by the reservoir and in the area where construction works for the dam will take place.
Important sites that are threatened include the
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
–
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
sites of
Halabiye
Halabiye ( ar, حلبيّة, Latin/Greek: ''Zenobia'', ''Birtha'') is an archaeological site on the right bank of the Euphrates River in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Syria. It was an ancient city and former bishopric known as ''Zenobia'' and a Latin ...
and
Zalabiye that were first fortified by the
Palmyrene queen
Zenobia
Septimia Zenobia ( Palmyrene Aramaic: , , vocalized as ; AD 240 – c. 274) was a third-century queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria. Many legends surround her ancestry; she was probably not a commoner and she married the ruler of the city ...
in the 3rd century CE.
The lower town of Halabiye will be partially flooded by the reservoir and the Syrian government is cooperating with the
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...
(UNDP) and
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
to limit the impact of the dam on this site as well as on Zalabiye.
[ Other threatened sites include ]Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...
Tell Ma’dan and Tell Humeyda with Ubaid, Uruk
Uruk, also known as Warka or Warkah, was an ancient city of Sumer (and later of Babylonia) situated east of the present bed of the Euphrates River on the dried-up ancient channel of the Euphrates east of modern Samawah, Al-Muthannā, Iraq.Harm ...
and Byzantine material.[ Given the current instability in the region, it can be assumed that the project has been postponed.
]
See also
* Water resources management in Syria
References
External links
Note on the proposed dam and its impact on cultural heritage
(in French)
{{Euphrates dams , state=expanded
Dams in Syria
Dams on the Euphrates River
Proposed dams
Buildings and structures in Deir ez-Zor Governorate