Tabqa Dam (Euphrates Dam)

The Tabqa Dam is a major water and energy infrastructure development on the Euphrates River in north-central Syria. <a href=”#_edn1″ name=”_ednref1″>¹</a> This project is the largest dam in Syria and one of the most significant hydraulic engineering undertakings in the Middle East. <a href=”#_edn2″ name=”_ednref2″>²</a> Construction began in 1968 with technical and financial support from the Soviet Union. <a href=”#_edn3″ name=”_ednref3″>³</a> <a href=”#_edn4″ name=”_ednref4″>⁴</a> The dam was conceived as a multipurpose structure designed primarily for hydroelectric power generation, large-scale irrigation, and regional water management. <a href=”#_edn5″ name=”_ednref5″>⁵</a>
The vision of the project is to serve as a multi-purpose infrastructure cornerstone for Syria by generating hydroelectric power, regulating the flow of the Euphrates River for flood control, and providing sustainable irrigation to reclaim over 600,000 hectares of arid land to ensure national food and energy security. <a href=”#_edn6″ name=”_ednref6″>⁶</a> It aims to generate up to 880 megawatts of electricity, <a href=”#_edn7″ name=”_ednref7″>⁷</a> supporting agricultural expansion on both banks of the Euphrates River, and regulating water resources for long-term socio-economic development. <a href=”#_edn8″ name=”_ednref8″>⁸</a> <a href=”#_edn9″ name=”_ednref9″>⁹</a> The project formed a central pillar of Syria’s national development strategy during the era of large-scale water infrastructure investment, when major dams were viewed as instruments for modernization, food security, and electrification. <a href=”#_edn10″ name=”_ednref10″>¹⁰</a>

To implement the vision, the Tabqa Dam was constructed as an earth-fill embankment measuring 4.5 kilometers in length, 60 meters in height, and 512 meters wide at its base. ¹¹ The project includes several key components: ¹²
– A hydroelectric power station located at the southern end of the dam, equipped with eight turbines with a total installed capacity of 880 Megawatts ¹³
– Lake Assad, the reservoir formed behind the dam, representing Syria’s largest artificial lake, extending approximately 80 kilometers in length and averaging 8 kilometers in width ¹⁴
– Irrigation infrastructure designed to support agricultural development across extensive arid and semi-arid areas. ¹⁵
Extensive archaeological salvage operations were undertaken to document and preserve heritage threatened heritage sites. ¹⁶ The reservoir has a maximum storage capacity of 14 billion cubic meters, making it Syria’s main water reserve. ¹⁷ Lake Assad also supplies drinking water to the city of Aleppo through a dedicated transmission pipeline. ¹⁸

‘Euphrates Dam’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, updated 26 August 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Euphrates-Dam
UN-ESCWA and BGR, ‘Euphrates River Basin Inventory’, UN-ESCWA Water Inventory, https://waterinventory.org/sites/waterinventory.org/files/chapters/Chapter-01-Euphrates-River-Basin-web.pdf
‘Euphrates Dam’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, updated 26 August 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Euphrates-Dam
ümer, Vakur, Gökhan Ereli, Kaan Devecioğlu, and Sercan Çalışkan, ‘Handle with Care! The Tragedy of the Tabqa Dam’, ORSAM Reports, 11 April 2017, https://orsam.org.tr/en/yayinlar/handle-with-care-the-tragedy-of-the-tabqa-dam/
‘Euphrates Dam’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, updated 26 August 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Euphrates-Dam
Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), ‘Syrian Army regains control of Euphrates Dam, restores water and power’, SANA, 18 January 2026, accessed 21 January 2026. https://sana.sy/en/syria/2291039/
‘Tabqa Dam Hydroelectric Plant’, Global Energy Monitor Wiki, https://www.gem.wiki/Tabqa_Dam_hydroelectric_plant
‘Euphrates Dam’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, updated 26 August 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Euphrates-Dam
ümer, Vakur, Gökhan Ereli, Kaan Devecioğlu, and Sercan Çalışkan, ‘Handle with Care! The Tragedy of the Tabqa Dam’, ORSAM Reports, 11 April 2017, https://orsam.org.tr/en/yayinlar/handle-with-care-the-tragedy-of-the-tabqa-dam/
ümer, Vakur, Gökhan Ereli, Kaan Devecioğlu, and Sercan Çalışkan, ‘Handle with Care! The Tragedy of the Tabqa Dam’, ORSAM Reports, 11 April 2017, https://orsam.org.tr/en/yayinlar/handle-with-care-the-tragedy-of-the-tabqa-dam/
‘Euphrates Dam’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, updated 26 August 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Euphrates-Dam
‘Euphrates Dam’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, updated 26 August 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Euphrates-Dam
‘Tabqa Dam Hydroelectric Plant’, Global Energy Monitor Wiki, https://www.gem.wiki/Tabqa_Dam_hydroelectric_plant
‘Euphrates Dam’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, updated 26 August 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Euphrates-Dam
‘Euphrates Dam’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, updated 26 August 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Euphrates-Dam
‘Euphrates Dam’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, updated 26 August 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Euphrates-Dam
‘Syria’s Tabqa Dam: A Strategic Prize’, Arab News, 28 March 2017, https://www.arabnews.com/node/1075756/middle-east
‘Euphrates Dam’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, updated 26 August 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Euphrates-Dam
‘Tabqa Dam Hydroelectric Plant’, Global Energy Monitor Wiki, https://www.gem.wiki/Tabqa_Dam_hydroelectric_plant
‘What was USSR Relationship with Syria’, Foreign Affairs Forum, 18 December 2024, https://www.faf.ae/home/2024/12/18/what-was-ussr-relationship-with-syria
‘Euphrates Dam’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, updated 26 August 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Euphrates-Dam
‘Euphrates Dam’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, updated 26 August 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Euphrates-Dam
‘Tabqa Dam Hydroelectric Plant’, Global Energy Monitor Wiki, https://www.gem.wiki/Tabqa_Dam_hydroelectric_plant
‘Euphrates Dam’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, updated 26 August 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Euphrates-Dam
‘Euphrates Dam’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, updated 26 August 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Euphrates-Dam
‘Euphrates Dam’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, updated 26 August 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Euphrates-Dam