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Khabur River

Euphrates River (left to the west) and Khabur River (right)

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Names
Transliterated Name Source Name
Khabur River Modern English
al-Khābūr Arabic الخابور
Khābūr Syriac ܚܒܘܪ
Khābūrā Syriac (Region) ܚܒܘܪܐ
Chaboras Classical Greek (Ptolemy, Pliny) Χαβώρας
Chabura Late Byzantine Greek (Procopius) Χαβούρα
Aborrhas Classical Greek (Strabo, Zosimus, Ammianus) Ἀβόρρας
Aburas Classical Greek (Isidore of Charax) Ἀβούρας
Chaboras Latin
Aborrhas Latin
Aburas Latin
Habor Biblical Hebrew / English Bible חָבוֹר
Introduction
Introduction

The Khabur River (Arabic: الخابور; Syriac: ܚܒܘܪ; Greek: Χαβώρας / Chaboras; Latin: Chaboras; also Aborrhas, Aburas, and Chabura in classical sources) is the largest perennial tributary of the Euphrates in northeastern Syria. Rising from numerous karst springs near Ra's al-Ayn (ancient Rhesaina) close to the Turkish border, it flows approximately 320 km southeast through the Jazira before joining the Euphrates at Circesium (modern al-Busayrah). Throughout antiquity and the medieval period the river formed one of the principal corridors linking northern Mesopotamia with Syria and was lined with important settlements, monasteries, and fortified towns.

The Khabur valley has been continuously occupied since prehistoric times and contains one of the densest concentrations of archaeological tells in northern Mesopotamia. During the Neo-Assyrian, Roman, Byzantine, Sasanian, and early Islamic periods it remained a major agricultural and communication route, while Syriac Christianity flourished throughout the region. Medieval Syriac chronicles frequently refer simply to "the Khabur" when describing events occurring anywhere along its valley. Consequently, historical references to earthquakes affecting the Khabur River may apply to multiple settlements distributed along the river rather than to a single locality.

Aerial Views
Aerial Views

Aerial Views

  • Khabur River in Google Earth
    Euphrates River (left to the west) and Khabur River (right)

    click on image to explore this site on a new tab in Google Earth

Textual Chronology
March 756 CE By No Means Mild Earthquake

Discussion

Discussion

Textual Seismic Effects
March 756 CE By No Means Mild Earthquake

Effect                                                      Location Image(s) Description
  • Collapsed Walls
  • Fatalities (due to collapsed walls)
 Upper Khabur River
  • "755-756 The year one thousand and sixty-seven: In the month of Adar (March), on the third day — a Tuesday — a powerful, terrible and dreadful earthquake took place in the middle of the night in the land of the Jazira. Three villages on the Khabur collapsed, and many people perished inside them, like grapes in a wine press. Many other places were also destroyed by this earthquake, brought on by the great number of our sins:

    The earth shall totter exceedingly,
    the earth shall shake violently,
    and it shall sway like a hut.

    This is what our sins are able to do: to shake the ground beneath us!" – Pseudo-Dionysius of Tell-Mahre

  • "[A.M. 6248, AD 755/6] II In this year, on 9 March, there occurred a considerable earthquake in Palestine and Syria.IIa Theodore [I], patriarch of Antioch, was exiled because of the malice of the Arabs, having been accused of frequently communicating Arab affairs by letter to the emperor Constantine. And so, Salim1 himself banished him to the land of Moab which was his native country. The same Salim decreed that no new churches should be built, that crosses should not be displayed and that Christians should not discourse with Arabs on matters of religion. II He invaded the Roman country2 with a force of 80,000 and, when he had come to Cappadocia, he heard that Constantine was taking up arms against him. Taking fright, he returned empty-handed without causing any damage, except that he took a few Armenians who had joined him. IIb.
    Footnotes

    a Ps.-Dion. Chron. 63 records an earthquake in Mesopotamia on 3 Mar. AG 1067.
    b Cf. Agapios, 278, with different details.

    1 Salih b. 'Ali. He was governor of Egypt down to AH 140 (757/8). In AH 141 (758/9) he was appointed over Qinnasrin (Chalkis), Emesa, and Damascus: Tabari, Williams, i. 28, 31, 36, 44. His measures against the Christians, including the patriarch of Antioch, would thus appear to date from 758/9.

    2 Salih led two expeditions to rebuild Melitene, the first in AH 138 (755/6), the second the following year (which is probably the one meant here). On the latter occasion he entered Byzantine territory by the pass of Adata: Tabari, Williams, i. 29, 32. Cf. Brooks, 'Abbasids', 733.

    ” - Theophanes

Textual Intensity Estimates
March 756 CE By No Means Mild Earthquake

  • Earthquake Archeological Effects chart
    Earthquake Archeological Effects (EAE)

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    Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224)
    of Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224)
Effect                                                      Location Image(s) Description Intensity
  • Collapsed Walls
  • Fatalities (due to collapsed walls)
 Upper Khabur River
  • "755-756 The year one thousand and sixty-seven: In the month of Adar (March), on the third day — a Tuesday — a powerful, terrible and dreadful earthquake took place in the middle of the night in the land of the Jazira. Three villages on the Khabur collapsed, and many people perished inside them, like grapes in a wine press. Many other places were also destroyed by this earthquake, brought on by the great number of our sins:

    The earth shall totter exceedingly,
    the earth shall shake violently,
    and it shall sway like a hut.

    This is what our sins are able to do: to shake the ground beneath us!" – Pseudo-Dionysius of Tell-Mahre

  • "[A.M. 6248, AD 755/6] II In this year, on 9 March, there occurred a considerable earthquake in Palestine and Syria.IIa Theodore [I], patriarch of Antioch, was exiled because of the malice of the Arabs, having been accused of frequently communicating Arab affairs by letter to the emperor Constantine. And so, Salim1 himself banished him to the land of Moab which was his native country. The same Salim decreed that no new churches should be built, that crosses should not be displayed and that Christians should not discourse with Arabs on matters of religion. II He invaded the Roman country2 with a force of 80,000 and, when he had come to Cappadocia, he heard that Constantine was taking up arms against him. Taking fright, he returned empty-handed without causing any damage, except that he took a few Armenians who had joined him. IIb.
    Footnotes

    a Ps.-Dion. Chron. 63 records an earthquake in Mesopotamia on 3 Mar. AG 1067.
    b Cf. Agapios, 278, with different details.

    1 Salih b. 'Ali. He was governor of Egypt down to AH 140 (757/8). In AH 141 (758/9) he was appointed over Qinnasrin (Chalkis), Emesa, and Damascus: Tabari, Williams, i. 28, 31, 36, 44. His measures against the Christians, including the patriarch of Antioch, would thus appear to date from 758/9.

    2 Salih led two expeditions to rebuild Melitene, the first in AH 138 (755/6), the second the following year (which is probably the one meant here). On the latter occasion he entered Byzantine territory by the pass of Adata: Tabari, Williams, i. 29, 32. Cf. Brooks, 'Abbasids', 733.

    ” - Theophanes
  • VIII+
  • VIII+
This evidence requires a minimum Intensity of VIII (8) when using the Earthquake Archeological Effects chart of Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224).

Notes and Further Reading
References

Websites

Carlson, T. A., Michelson, D. A., et al. (2025). Khabur — ܚܒܘܪ. Syriaca.org: The Syriac Reference Portal.

Khabur at Pleiades

Wikipedia pages

Khabur