| Location: | Babylon |
| Coordinates: | 32.5363°N 44.415°W |
| Status: | No longer extant; possibly mythical |
| Start: | East shore of Euphrates in Babylon |
| End: | West shore of Euphrates in Babylon |
| Owner: | Semiramis |
| Linelength: | 929m (3,048feet) |
The Euphrates Tunnel was a legendary tunnel purportedly built under the river Euphrates to connect the two halves of the city of Babylon in Mesopotamia.[1] [2]
The first underwater tunnel known certainly to have been built was the Thames Tunnel, completed in 1841.[1]
A description of the tunnel as being built and used by Queen Semiramis is given by Diodorus (fl. 50 BCE) in the Bibliotheca Historica:[3]
Philostratus (d. 250 CE) also describes the tunnel's construction in the Life of Apollonius of Tyana:[4] [5]
Construction allegedly began with a temporary dam across the Euphrates, and proceeded using a "cut and cover" technique.[1]
The tunnel allegedly spanned 12 feet high and 15 feet wide.[2] It is presumed that it was used by pedestrians and horse driven chariots and connected a major temple with the royal palace on the other shore of the river.[2] It was supposedly lined with brick and waterproofed with asphalt.[1] [6]
. The Geographical System of Herodotus, Examined; and Explained, by a Comparison with Those of Other Ancient Authors, and with Modern Geography. James Rennell. 356. W. Bulmer and Co.. London. 1800.