Queiq

The Queiq (Modern Standard Arabic: قُوَيْقٌ, Quwayq, [quˈwajq]; northern Syrian Arabic: ʾWēʾ, [ʔwɛːʔ]), is an endorheic river and wadi of the Aleppo Governorate, Syria and Turkey. It is a 129 kilometres (80 mi)-long river that rises from the Taurus Mountains, flowing parallel to the Euphrates through the Aintab Plateau, along the western rim of the Matah Depression, and running through the northern Syrian city of Aleppo before pouring into the plains and swamps south of the city.

The evidence from Ford, Pratt, and McGowwan’s 19th-century investigations shows that its waters come from copious springs near Aintab which would naturally flow into a branch (the Sağun) of the Euphrates basin. Instead, the Romans diverted these waters artificially, channeling them southwards through aqueducts to supply the Silk Road city of Aleppo. The aqueducts then flow into a natural wadi that, after merging with the Akpınar stream near Kilis, carries them towards Aleppo and the ancient city of Qinnasrin. This Queiq valley has been occupied for thousands of years and in ancient times was noted for its flint industries and pottery.

The etymology of the term refers to the croaking sounds of frogs, a common animal on the banks of the stream and a medieval European luxury food item. In antiquity, it was known to the Greeks as the Belus in (Ancient Greek: Βήλος, Bēlos), often translated as the Chalos and also known in English as the Aleppo River.