SPACEPHOTOS

Completed in 1973, the Tabaqah Dam (center of image) on the Euphrates River can be seen in this near-nadir view. The Tabaqah Dam is an earth filled dam nearly 197 feet (60 meters) high and 3 miles (5 km) long. The dam holds the waters of Lake Assad (center to left center of the image), a 50-mile (80 km) long and 5-mile (8 km) wide reservoir. Lake Assad and the Tabaqah Dam have not only provided increased hydroelectric power but the lake has doubled Syria’s irrigated land. Actual crop production has not reached the goals set by the Syrian government due to a number of problems including the gypsum subsoil of the region, and whether or not farmers could be attracted back to this scarsely populated area from urban areas or more crowded agricultural areas in other parts of the country. Also the water levels within Lake Assad remain low due mostly in part to construction of the Keban and Ataturk Dams in Turkey, which have reduced the water flow of the Euphrates River in Syria.