The Sajur River, Syria

The Sajur is a river that rises near Gaziantep in Turkey and joins the Euphrates in Syria. Of its 108 kilometres, 60 are in Turkey and 48 in Syria. Crossing the Manbij Plain in Syria it cuts a deep valley, and it meets the Euphrates from the right bank, in a stretch now under the Tishrin Dam reservoir. It is a small river, yet people have lived in its basin from the Lower Palaeolithic to today; in recent years the water table has been dropping and wastewater is released into the basin.

Where it rises and where it flows

The river rises at Sacır Başı, west of Gaziantep, and inside the city goes by the names Kavaklık, Alleben and Tabakhane stream. It enters Syria heading south-east, then flows east to the Euphrates. Of the three tributaries that join the Euphrates in Syria (the Sajur, the Balikh and the Khabur) it is the smallest, and the only one that joins from the right bank. Its basin covers 2042 square kilometres.

How deep the valley is and how much water it carries

On the Manbij Plain the river runs through a valley 20 to 100 metres deep and up to 500 metres wide in places. Average flow is 4100 litres per second. It rises to 7000 litres per second in February and March and falls to 1400 litres between June and October. On the plain the January average is 5 °C and the July average 30 °C; annual rainfall averages 300 millimetres.

Who lived in the basin

Acheulean (Lower Palaeolithic) and Middle Palaeolithic stone tools have been found in the Sajur basin: people have been coming to this valley for hundreds of thousands of years. Where the river meets the Euphrates rises the mound of Til Barsip (Tell Ahmar).

Why the water is shrinking

Groundwater drawn out with motor pumps has lowered the water table, and many wells in the basin have dried up. Part of Aleppo’s wastewater is released into the Sajur basin; measurements from 2005-2009 recorded high biological oxygen demand and ammonia in the water. On the Turkish side, the reservoir of the Kayacık Dam on the Ayfınar stream covers 11 square kilometres and irrigates 200 square kilometres.

Can you go there today?

This could not be confirmed. The river was a front line from 2016 to 2024; since January 2026 the west bank of the Euphrates has been under government control. No source from the last 12 months was found on visitor access to the riverbank. On a former front line there is a risk of unexploded ordnance: stay on the tarmac, keep out of the fields, and ask in Manbij before setting out.

Do not miss

The valley that opens suddenly in the middle of the flat plain. The Manbij Plain is almost level, and the Sajur cuts into it up to 100 metres deep. From the valley edge, the contrast between the flat plain and the cleft the river has carved is clear at a glance. To see the river at its fullest, go in February or March.