Euphrates River Detail

A view looking southeast from Carchemish at the Euphrates River.  It flows from left to right (north to south) and continues its course through Syria and Iraq to the Persian Gulf.

At this point, there is a natural ford for crossing the river.  Today, the blue water is the western most of two branches of the river.  The other is on the far (east) side of the marshy "island."

The railroad bridge that crosses the river was built by the Turks for the Istanbul to Baghdad Railroad.  The bridge itself is in Turkey.  The hills beyond the bridge are in Syria.