The
Great Zab or
Upper Zab ( (
al-Zāb al-Kabīr), , ,
(zāba ʻalya)) is an approximately long river flowing through
Turkey and
Iraq. It rises in Turkey near
Lake Van and joins the
Tigris in Iraq south of
Mosul. The
drainage basin of the Great Zab covers approximately , and during its course, the rivers collects the water from many tributaries. The river and its tributaries are primarily fed by rainfall and snowmelt – as a result of which
discharge fluctuates highly throughout the year. At least six dams have been planned on the Great Zab and its tributaries, but construction of only one, the
Bekhme Dam, has commenced but was halted after the
Gulf War.