Mesopotamia. Large Asian country enclosed between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. The Greek term Μεσοποταμία refers to a country bounded by two rivers . Strabo says the Tigris is Mesopotamia ’s border to the east, the Euphrates to the west, that at the north Mount Taurus separates it from Armenia, and that the Euphrates, once it flows east, delineates it at the south.

The Hebrews named this country Aram or Aramasan . It is famous in the Holy Scriptures for being the first abode of men both before and after the deluge. It is often referred to as Syrian Mesopotamia in the Scriptures because it was occupied by the Arameans or Syrians.

Our historians have divided Mesopotamia into several provinces; they are respectively called Mesopotamia proper, Mygdonia, Sophimania and Scenite Arabia.

The various powers that possessed parts of Mesopotamia have caused further divisions of this country. For example, after the expeditions of Lucullus and Pompey, the part that joins the Euphrates was almost completely occupied by the Romans while the Parthians ruled over nearly the entire region on the Tigris side. Eventually, victory changing sides, several emperors were deprived of those lands their predecessors had conquered beyond the Euphrates.

Today the Arabs call Al-Jazira the country enclosed between the Euphrates and the Tigris. They divide it up into four parts they name diyars or quarters . The first of these four quarters is Diyarbakir, commonly called Diarbek , which often gives its name to the whole of Mesopotamia . The second is Diyar-Rabiat, the third Diyar-Rachat, and the fourth Diyar-Moussal.

The main cities of these four regions are, in the first quarter Amida, which the Turks call Carémit or Diarbek ; in the second one the city of Nusaybin , in the third Racah , that our historians name Aracta ; and in the fourth quarter, the famous city of Moussal or Mosul .