Water and its laws in the ancient civilization of Iraq

Abstract

Mesopotamia is located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and their tributaries, and it is the home of the first civilizations in the ancient Near East, due to the fact that it contains permanent flowing rivers. Therefore, civilization originated and developed on the land of ancient Iraq, including those that were led by Hammurabi during the era of the first Kingdom of Babylon (1793-1751). BC, and King Dadusha during the reign of Eshnunna (1797-1786) BC also achieved wide fame, and also King Nebuchadnezzar during the era of the modern Babylonian kingdom (1103-1126) BC. The kings of Mesopotamia sought to develop and maintain a system concerned with irrigation channels and water distribution for the purpose of watering crops, and they created a legal framework that governs this irrigation work, and despite the legislation of legal articles, the people of Mesopotamia left a scarcity in writing legal articles pertaining to water, for example Among the ancient laws, we find in the Hammurabi Code a total of (282) legal articles, there are only four legal articles that deal with water. These laws were found that were inscribed on large stone tablets known as obelisks or mud tablets in ancient sites in central and southern Iraq. These laws were not established It not only created a system of liability, but also aimed at helping the injured party and restoring its previous rights.