Birecik

Birecik stands on the Euphrates beneath a castle overlooking the river, at a meeting point of overland routes and river transport. Its walls and gates bear witness to its importance as a fortified town; two gates were built under the Mamluk sultan Qaytbay in the late fifteenth century. Goods arriving by caravan could be transferred here to boats bound down the Euphrates, tying the markets of northern Syria to Mesopotamia.

The Ottomans took Birecik in 1516 and made it the centre of a sancak. In the sixteenth century they established a shipyard here, supplying a river fleet that carried troops, provisions and military equipment as well as commercial cargo. Lightly armed vessels worked with the fortresses along the eastern frontier, while another Ottoman shipyard operated at Basra at the southern end of the river system. Timber, weapons and other supplies were stored at Birecik for shipment downstream, making the town an indispensable staging point for expeditions into Iraq.

The yard drew workers from other districts, and the river remained essential to local trade. Merchants also used rafts supported by inflated skins, known as keleks, for the downstream journey. Birecik's value came from both its strong position at a crossing and its ability to turn the Euphrates into a route for goods and armies.