The only river system of importance in western Asia is that of the Euphrates and Tigris. In the basin of these celebrated streams, containing an area of 230,000 square miles, mounds of rubbish on a desolate plain are the only vestiges that remain of the great cities of Nineveh and Babylon. Innumerable ruins and inscriptions, also records of the glory of times less remote, have been discovered by adventurous travellers, and bear testimony to the truth of some of the most interesting pages of history. The Euphrates, and its affluent the Merad- Chai, supposed to be the stream forded as the Euphrates by the 10,000 Greeks in their retreat, rise in the heart of Armenia, and, after running 1800 miles on the table-land to 38° 41′ of north latitude, they join the northern branch of the Euphrates, which rises in the Gheul Mountains, near Erzeroum. The whole river then descends in rapids through the Taurus chain, north of Rumkala, to the plains of Mesopotamia.

The Tigris comes from Dearbeker, more to the east, and, after receiving auxiliaries from the high lands of Kourdistan, it pierces the Taurus Mountains at Mosul, and descends rapidly in a tortuous course to the same plains, where it is joined by many streams from the Lusistán Mountains, some of which are navigable, and may ultimately be of great commercial importance. The country through which they flow is extremely beautiful, and rich in corn, date-groves, and forest-trees.