Batman River
The Batman River is a major tributary of the Tigris in southeast Turkey. The region along the Batman River is known for its oil fields.
Course
The river originates in Turkey's Anti-Taurus Mountains and flows approximately from north to south, passing near the city of Batman and forming a natural border between the Batman Province and Diyarbakır Province. The historic Malabadi Bridge crosses the river near the town of Silvan.The river is widest at about right after exiting the dam, but then narrows to about and forms numerous splits along its way to the Tigris. Its riverbed is irregular in many places, promoting flooding. A tributary of Batman, the Iluh River, originates in the Raman Mountain on the south of the Batman city and flows north-west through the city into the Batman River. Despite being a small river, absent on most maps, Iluh plays an important role for the province because its spring floods affect the provincial capital. The floods of Iluh and Batman rivers occur between March and May and sometimes in October or November. Major floods occurred in 1969, 1972, 1991, 1995 and 2006.
Name
In Antiquity, the Batman River was known as Kalat. This name meant "bride" to the Syriac people who populated the area, and was translated into Greek as Nymphios and Nymphaios. Among Arabs it was known as Satidama, meaning "the bloody" reflecting the battles fought near it.In international literature, the name Batman came into use in the 19th century, whereas in the 18th century and before it was mostly referred to as Nymphius, among other names. The origin of the name "Batman" is unclear: it might be a shortening of the name of the tall Bati Raman mountain located nearby or refer to the unit of weight used in the Ottoman Empire.
History
The river served as a natural border between the Byzantine Empire and Sassanid Persia and saw major battles in 583 and 591 AD. The main citadel on the river was Martyropolis, modern-day Silvan.The Batman Dam was built in 1999 in the upstream, together with the associated reservoir and hydroelectric power plant.