Tigris–Euphrates river system
River system in the Middle East
The Tigris–Euphrates river system is a large river system in Western Asia that flows into the Persian Gulf. Its primary rivers are the Tigris and Euphrates, along with smaller tributaries.
From their sources and upper courses in the Armenian highlands of eastern Turkey, being Lake Hazar for the Tigris and Karasu along with the Murat River for the Euphrates, the two rivers descend through valleys and gorges to the uplands of Syria and northern Iraq and then to the alluvial plain of central Iraq. Other tributaries join the Tigris from sources in the Zagros Mountains to the east. The rivers flow in a south-easterly direction through the central plain and combine at Al-Qurnah to form the Shatt al-Arab and discharge into the Persian Gulf. The rivers and their tributaries drain an area of , including almost the entire area of Iraq as well as portions of Turkey, Syria, Iran and Kuwait.
The region has historical importance as part of the Fertile Crescent, where Mesopotamian civilization first emerged.
Geography.
The Tigris–Euphrates Basin is shared between Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Kuwait. Many tributaries of the Tigris river originate in Iran, and the Shatt al-Arab, formed by the confluence of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, makes up a portion of the Iran–Iraq border, with Kuwait's Bubiyan Island being part of its delta. Since the 1960s and in the 1970s, when Turkey began the GAP project in earnest, water disputes have regularly occurred in addition to the associated dam's effects on the environment. In addition, Syrian and Iranian dam construction has also contributed to political tension within the basin, particularly during drought.
The ecoregion is characterized by two large rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates. The high mountains in the upper watershed receive more rain and snow than the lower watershed, which has a hot and arid subtropical climate. Annual snow melt from the mountains brings spring floods, and sustains permanent and seasonal marshes in the lowlands.
The plain between the two rivers is known as Mesopotamia. As part of the larger Fertile Crescent, it saw the earliest emergence of literate urban civilization in the Uruk period. For this reason, it is often described as a "Cradle of Civilization".
There is a large floodplain in the lower basin where the Euphrates, Tigris, and Karun rivers converge to create the Mesopotamian Marshes, which include permanent lakes, marshes, and riparian forests. The hydrology of these vast marshes is extremely important to the ecology of the entire upper Persian Gulf.
History.
Some of the first civilizations emerged from the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. From ancient times empires arose and fell in the river basin, including Sumer, Akkad, Babylonia, Assyria, and the Abbasid Caliphate. Being part of the Fertile Crescent, the river system is recognized as the site of one of the world's first agricultural centers, with archeological sites containing preserved grain dating up to 12,500 years ago. The river system was used by major cities including Ur and Babylon to promote trade and the sharing of cultures. As a result of its invention of the qanat system thousands of years ago which uses gravity to transport water through subterranean tunnels, Iran has a history as an agricultural nation, despite its aridity.
Ecology.
The most abundant fishes are species of barbs ("Barbus"), some of which can reach up to two meters in length. Some species have been important food sources for residents for thousands of years. Specifically, the Mangar fish has been harvested for food in the Tigris-Euphrates basin. Many species move seasonally between the river and the marshes for spawning, feeding, and overwintering. The Hilsa shad ("Tenualosa ilisha") is an important food fish that lives in the coastal waters and spawns in the lower reaches of the basin. Other ocean species occasionally visit the lower reaches of the rivers; bull sharks ("Carcharhinus leucas") used to swim up the Tigris as far as Baghdad.
Endemic fish species in the lower basin include "Glyptothorax steindachneri" and "Hemigrammocapoeta elegans", and as well as two cave fishes, "Caecocypris basimi" and the Iraq blind barb ("Typhlogarra widdowsoni"), from a cave habitat near Haditha on the Euphrates.
One-third of the fish species in the upper watersheds are endemic, including species of "Aphanius, Glyptothorax, Cobitis, Orthrias", and "Schistura". Two blind fish species, the Iran cave barb ("Iranocypris typhlops") and the Zagros blind loach ("Eidinemacheilus smithi"), are endemic to cave systems in Iran's upper Karun River watershed. The Batman River loach ("Paraschistura chrysicristinae") is a Critically Endangered fish species endemic to the Batman and Ambar rivers, Turkish tributaries of the Tigris. The species is endangered by drought, habitat destruction, and habitat fragmentation from the construction of the Batman Dam. It had not been observed since 1974 and was feared extinct until a 2021 expedition netted 14 fish living above the Batman Dam.
Mesopotamian Marshes.
The Mesopotamian Marshes in southern Iraq were historically the largest wetland ecosystem of Western Eurasia. The aquatic vegetation includes reeds, rushes, and papyrus, which support numerous species. Areas around the Tigris and the Euphrates are very fertile. Marshy land is home to water birds, some stopping here while migrating, and some spending the winter in these marshes living off the lizards, snakes, frogs, and fish. Other animals found in these marshes are water buffalo, two endemic rodent species, antelopes and gazelles and small animals such as the jerboa and several other mammals. The wetland birds Basra reed warbler ("Acrocephalus griseldis") and Iraq babbler ("Argya altirostris") are endemic to the Mesopotamian Marshes. The Basra reed warbler is endangered. Another wetland endemic species, Bunn's short-tailed bandicoot rat ("Nesokia bunnii"), is possibly extinct.
Their drainage began in the 1950s, to reclaim land for agriculture and oil exploration. Saddam Hussein extended this work in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as part of ecological warfare against the Marsh Arabs, a rebellious group of people in Baathist Iraq. However, with the breaching of the dikes by local communities after the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the ending of a four-year drought that same year, the process has been reversed and the marshes have experienced a substantial rate of recovery. The permanent wetlands now cover more than 50% of pre-1970s levels, with a remarkable regrowth of the Hammar and Hawizeh Marshes and some recovery of the Central Marshes.
Ecological threats.
Iraq suffers from desertification and soil salination due in large part to thousands of years of agricultural activity. Water and plant life are sparse. Saddam Hussein's government water-control projects drained the inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or diverting streams and rivers. Shi'a Muslims were displaced under the Ba'athist regime. The destruction of the natural habitat poses serious threats to the area's wildlife populations. There are also inadequate supplies of potable water.
The marshlands were an extensive natural wetland ecosystem, which developed over thousands of years in the Tigris–Euphrates basin and once covered 15–20,000 square kilometers. In the 1980s, this ecoregion was put in grave danger during the Iran–Iraq War. After the 1991 Gulf War, Iraq's President Saddam Hussein initiated a drainage project on these marshes, leading to degradation of ecosystem services that caused economic and social issues for civilians. The Mesopotamian Marshes, which were inhabited by the Marsh Arabs, were almost completely drained. Although they had started to recover after the fall of Ba'athist Iraq in 2003, drought, intensive dam construction and irrigation schemes upstream have caused them to dry up once more. According to the United Nations Environmental Program and the AMAR Charitable Foundation, between 84% and 90% of the marshes have been destroyed since the 1970s. In 1994, 60 percent of the wetlands were destroyed by Hussein's regime – drained to permit military access and greater political control of the native Marsh Arabs. Canals, dykes and dams were built routing the water of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers around the marshes, instead of allowing water to move slowly through the marshland. After part of the Euphrates was dried up due to re-routing its water to the sea, a dam was built so water could not back up from the Tigris and sustain the former marshland. Some marshlands were burned and pipes buried underground helped to carry away water for quicker drying.
Riparian entities have constructed dams along the Tigris–Euphrates river system as a method of water management in response to droughts. Turkey, for example, is in control of an estimated 45% of the system's water sources due to its dam constructions for water quantity and hydroelectric power.
The drying of the marshes led to the disappearance of the salt-tolerant vegetation; the plankton rich waters that fertilized surrounding soils; 52 native fish species; the wild boar, red fox, buffalo and water birds of the marsh habitat.
Climate change also affects the environmental and social well-being. Climate change and human interaction have directly impacted the Tigris–Euphrates river system, leading to a negative trend in water storage capabilities in the river basin. The combination of diminishing water levels in the Tigris–Euphrates river system and rising sea levels indicates the potential for rapid seawater intrusion in the river basin. This is especially concerning as the demand for clean water increases while the water supply decreases. Currently, the Middle East and North Africa are acknowledged as the most water scarce region in the world, with 61% of the population living in areas with high or very high water stress. As climate change worsens and population grows, water scarcity in the region is expected to worsen with 100% of people living in the Middle East and North Africa living in areas with high water stress by 2050.
Water dispute.
The issue of water rights became a point of contention for Iraq, Turkey and Syria beginning in the 1960s when Turkey implemented a public-works project (the GAP project) aimed at harvesting the water from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers through the construction of 22 dams, for irrigation and hydroelectric energy purposes. Although the water dispute between Turkey and Syria was more problematic, the GAP project was also perceived as a threat by Iraq. In 1983, the Joint Technical Committee (JTC) was established to solve ongoing data controversies between Turkey, Syria, and Iraq but stopped meeting in the early 1990s after only passing two bilateral agreements. The tension between Turkey and Iraq about the issue was increased by the effect of Syria and Turkey's participation in the UN embargo against Iraq following the Gulf War. However, the issue had never become as significant as the water dispute between Turkey and Syria.
The 2008 drought in Iraq sparked new negotiations between Iraq and Turkey over trans-boundary river flows. Although the drought affected Turkey, Syria and Iran as well, Iraq complained regularly about reduced water flows. Iraq particularly complained about the Euphrates River because of the large number of dams on the river. Turkey agreed to increase the flow several times, beyond its means in order to supply Iraq with water. Iraq has seen significant declines in water storage and crop yields because of the drought. To make matters worse, Iraq's water infrastructure has suffered from years of conflict and neglect.
In 2008, Turkey, Iraq and Syria agreed to restart the Joint Trilateral Committee on water for the three nations for better water resources management. Turkey, Iraq and Syria signed a memorandum of understanding on September 3, 2009, in order to strengthen communication within the Tigris–Euphrates Basin and to develop joint water-flow-monitoring stations. On September 19, 2009, Turkey formally agreed to increase the flow of the Euphrates River to 450 to 500 m3/s, but only until October 20, 2009. In exchange, Iraq agreed to trade petroleum with Turkey and help curb Kurdish militant activity in their border region. One of Turkey's last large GAP dams on the Tigris – the Ilisu Dam – is strongly opposed by Iraq and is the source of political strife. The Southeastern Anatolia Project (Turkish acronym: GAP) continues to be a source of tension in the region. GAP is a massive hydroelectric project, consisting of 21 dams and 19 hydroelectric facilities. In 2020, Iraqi authorities complained that the Ilısu Dam had decreased the Tigris river inflows and caused water shortages in Iraqi plains.
References.
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

Mesopotamian Marshes
Wetlands in Iraq, Iran and Kuwait
The Mesopotamian Marshes, also known as the Iraqi Marshes, are a wetland area located in southern Iraq and southwestern Iran as well as partially in northern Kuwait. The marshes are primarily located on the floodplains of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers bound by the cities of Basra, Nasiriyah, Amarah and a portion of southwestern Iran and northern Kuwait (particularly Bubiyan Island). Historically the marshlands, mainly composed of the separate but adjacent Central, Hawizeh and Hammar Marshes, used to be the largest wetland ecosystem of western Eurasia. The unique wetland landscape is home to the Marsh people, who have developed a unique culture tightly coupled to the landscape – harvesting reeds and rice, fishing, and herding water buffalo.
Draining of portions of the marshes began in the 1950s and continued through the 1970s to reclaim land for agriculture and oil exploration. In the late 1980s and 1990s, during the presidency of Saddam Hussein, this work was expanded and accelerated to evict Marsh people from the marshes. Before 2003, the marshes were drained to 10% of their original size. After the American overthrow of Hussein in 2003, the marshes have partially recovered but drought along with upstream dam construction and operation in Turkey, Syria and Iran have hindered the process. Since 2016 the Mesopotamian marshes have been listed as an UNESCO Heritage Site.
Geography.
As their name suggests, the Mesopotamian Marshes are located in the larger region which used to be called Mesopotamia. Modern day Mesopotamia is now occupied by Iraq, parts of eastern Syria, south-eastern Turkey, southwest Iran, and northern Kuwait. The marshes lie mostly within southern Iraq and a portion of southwestern Iran and northern Kuwait. Originally covering an area of and divided into three major areas, the Central Marshes lie between the Tigris and Euphrates, while the Hammar Marshes lie south of the Euphrates and the Hawizeh Marshes are bound east of the Tigris. Before the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, about 90% of the marshes had been drained.
The marshes lie on a flat alluvial plain, as the Euphrates decreases only in elevation during its last while the Tigris falls . This delta provides an environment that allows the Tigris and Euphrates to meander, forming distributaries. The Euphrates has often terminated near Nasiriyah into the Hammar Marshes as its flow slows. The Tigris can distribute some of its flow into the Central and Hawizeh marshes as it slows near Amarah. Downstream of Amarah, though, several of its tributaries originating in Iran allow the Tigris's flow to increase, and it maintains a steady course thereafter. The three marshes once provided an intertwined environment, particularly during periods of flooding as the rivers overflowed.
Central.
The Central Marshes receive water from influxes of the Tigris's distributaries, namely the Shatt al-Muminah and Majar al-Kabir south of Amarah. The Tigris serves as the marshes' eastern boundary while the Euphrates serves as its southern boundary. Covering an area of , the marshes consist of reed beds and several permanent lakes including Umm al Binni lake. The Al-Zikri and Hawr Umm Al-Binni lakes are two of the notable lakes and are deep.
Hammar.
The Hammar Marshes are primarily fed by the Euphrates and lie south of it with a western extent to Nasiriyah, eastern border of the Shatt al-Arab and southern extent of Basrah. Normally, the marshes are a area of permanent marsh and lake but during period of flooding can extend to . In periods of flooding, water from the Central Marsh, fed by the Tigris can overflow and supply the marshes with water. Hammar Lake is the largest water body within the marsh and has an area of by , with depths ranging between -. In the summer, large portion of the marshes' and lake's shore are exposed, revealing islands that are used for agriculture.
Hawizeh.
The Hawizeh Marshes lie east of the Tigris and a portion lie in Iran. The Iranian side of the marshes, known as Hawr Al-Azim, is fed by the Karkheh River, while the Tigris distributaries Al-Musharrah and Al-Kahla supply the Iraqi side, only with much less water than the Karkheh. During spring flooding, the Tigris may directly flow into the marshes. The marshes are drained by the Al-Kassarah. This river plays a critical role in maintaining the Al-Hawizeh marshes as a flow-through system and preventing it from becoming a closed saline basin.
The marshes are from north to south and about from east to west, covering a total area of . Permanent portions of the marshes include the northern and central portion while the southern part is generally seasonal. Moderately dense vegetation can be found in the permanent areas along with large -deep lakes in the northern portions. As the Hawizeh Marshes fared the best during the draining, they can facilitate the reproduction of flora, fauna and other species in Central and Hammar marshes.
Ecology.
The marshes constitute a flooded grasslands and savannas ecoregion, also known as the Tigris-Euphrates alluvial salt marsh. The ecoregion includes both the Mesopotamian Marshes and the Shadegan Ponds, a wetland on the lower Karun River in neighboring Iran. The marshes are integral to coastal health, filtering out pollutants and waste before they reach the Gulf, though this capacity was significantly degraded after their draining. The marshes also serve as spawning and nursery sites for coastal fish and shrimp species.
The seasonal and permanent marshlands are dominated by aquatic plants, including reeds ("Phragmites australis"), cattail rushes ("Typha domingensis"), and papyrus sedge ("Cyperus papyrus"). Riparian forests of poplar (mainly "Populus euphratica"), tamarisk ("Tamarix pentandra" and "Tamarix meyeri"), and willow (mainly "Salix acmophylla") occur on islands and river banks.
The marshes are home to 40 species of bird and several species of fish. It demarcates a range limit for a number of bird species. Flamingos, pelicans and herons inhabit the marshes. The marshes were once home to a large number of birds and the stopover for many other migratory birds as they traveled from Siberia to Africa. At risk are 40% to 60% of the world's marbled teal population that live in the marshes, along with 90% of the world's population of Basra reed-warbler. Also at risk are the sacred ibis and African darter. A subspecies of the hooded crow known as the Mesopotamian crow is found in this part of southern Iraq. Seven species are now extinct from the marshes, including the Indian crested porcupine, the Bunn's short-tailed bandicoot rat and the marsh gray wolf. The draining of the marshes caused a significant decline in bioproductivity; following the Multi-National Force overthrow of the Saddam Hussein regime, water flow to the marshes was restored and the ecosystem has begun to recover.
Considerable confusion has existed relating to the status of the Eurasian otter and the endemic "maxwelli" subspecies of the smooth-coated otter in the region, but recent surveys have confirmed that both still survive.
Inhabitants.
Maʻdān live in secluded villages of elaborate reed houses throughout the marshes, often only reached by boat. Fish, rice cultivation, water buffalo and other resources are also used in their daily lives. In the 1950s, there were an estimated 500,000 Marsh Arabs. This population shrank to about 20,000 following the draining and Saddam's violent reprisals, and between 80,000 and 120,000 fled to neighboring Iran. Following the 2003 Iraq invasion, Marsh Arabs have begun to return to the marshes. Many hacked down the dikes and dams that Saddam had built.
The Iraqi government has provided support via channels like the Iraq Cultural Health Fund, which funds Marsh Arabs in their efforts to protect traditional cultural practices. Nevertheless, Marsh Arabs remain one of Iraq’s most underserved populations, struggling to obtain healthcare, clean drinking water, and adequate nutrition.
As the marshes become increasingly saline and polluted, many Marsh Arabs are once again being forced to relocate. For those who remain, their traditional lifestyle is threatened. The marshes supplied 60 percent of Iraq’s fish; that number has dwindled to the single digits. This, combined with the lack of potable water for raising water buffalo, is driving some Marsh Arabs to marsh perimeters, where they farm grain.
History.
In the 4th millennium BCE, the first literate societies emerged in Southern Mesopotamia, often referred to as the "Cradle of Civilization", and the first cities and complex state bureaucracies were developed there during the Uruk period. Due to the geographical location and ecological factors of the Fertile Crescent, a crescent-shape fertile area running from the basins of the Nile in Egypt, northwards along the Mediterranean coast in Palestine and Israel, and southwards again along the Euphrates and the Tigris towards the Persian Gulf, civilizations were able to develop agricultural and technological programmes. The crucial trigger was the availability of wild edible plant species. Farming arose early in the Fertile Crescent because the area had a large quantity of wild wheat and pulse species that were nutritious and easy to domesticate.
In the 10th and 11th centuries, the marshes were the site of the state of Batihah founded by 'Imran ibn Shahin.
Draining and subsequent restoration efforts.
The draining of Mesopotamian Marshes began in the 1950s with the Central Marshes and gradually accelerated as it affected the two other main marshes until early in the 21st century with the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The draining of the marshes was intended at first to reclaim land for agriculture along with oil exploration but later served as a punishment for Shia Arabs in response to the 1991 uprisings in Iraq. The draining of the marshes was largely due to dams, dykes and other diversion structures constructed into Iraq but were exacerbated by upstream dam construction in Syria and Turkey.
While the British engineers worked with the Iraqi government, Frank Haigh developed the Haigh Report in 1951. His report recommended a complex of canals, sluices, and dykes on the lower portions of both the Tigris and Euphrates. These water control structures could be used to drain marshes therefore creating profitable farmland. In 1953, construction began on the Third River or Main Outfall Drain and later the Saddam River which would drain water from the Central Marsh under the Euphrates and through a canal eventually into the Persian Gulf. Work on the Third River and other draining projects, particularly for the Hawizeh Marsh, quickly progressed in the 1980s during the Iran–Iraq War in order to afford Iraqis a tactical advantage in the marshes. Part of the Hammar Marshes was also drained in 1985 to clear area for oil exploration.
After the 1991 Gulf War, Shia Muslims in southern Iraq rebelled against Saddam Hussein, who in turn crushed the rebellion and further accelerated the draining of the Central and Hammar marshes in order to evict Shias that have taken refuge in the marshes. With the exception of the Nasiriyah Drainage Pump Station, the Third River was completed in 1992 and two other canals were constructed south and nearly parallel to it. One, the Mother of Battles canal, was constructed to divert the flow of the Euphrates south below the Hammar Marsh. Second, the Loyalty to Leader Canal also known as the Basrah Sweetwater Canal, which originates in the lower Euphrates region, collected water from the terminus of the Gharraf River and diverted it under the Euphrates, away from the Central Marshes and below the Hammar Marshes towards Basrah. The Glory River was also constructed to divert water from the Tigris's southern-flowing distributaries east and parallel along the Tigris until they reached the Euphrates near its confluence with the Tigris at Qurna.
By the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the marshes had lost 90% of their size from the previous decades. The Central and Hammar Marshes were nearly drained and only 35% of the Hawizeh Marshes remained. After the invasion, locals destroyed dikes. The combined efforts of the Iraq government, United Nations, U.S. agencies and record precipitation in Turkey helped begin a restoration of the marshes. As of late 2006, 58% of the original marshes had been reinundated. The Nasiriyah Drainage Pump Station was completed in 2009, affording the Third River to be used for agricultural drainage. Recent drought and continued upstream dam construction and operation in Turkey, Syria, and Iran have reduced the marshes to around 30% of their original size by 2009. Turkey has built at least 34 dams on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, threatening marsh recovery.
From a high of around 75% restored in 2008, the wetlands receded to 58% of their average pre-drained level by spring 2015. Meanwhile, as the water level fell, salinity increased to 15,000 parts per million in some areas, up from 300 to 500 ppm in the 1980s. "When the river water levels were high, the low-saline Tigris washed over the marshes, cleansed them, and pushed the salty residue into the saltier Euphrates, which flows along the western edge. But now the Tigris is so low that the Euphrates provides most of the water in the marshes."
The government prioritizes providing water to cities along the Tigris and Shatt al-Arab, resulting in reduced flow to the marshes.
Threats From Climate Change and Pollution.
Temperatures in the region have risen over 0.5 degrees Celsius per decade, causing drought in Iraq and in neighbors whose waters flow into the Tigris and Euphrates. Combined with upriver dams, this reduction in water has caused the three primary marshes to fragment into ten smaller marshes.
Massive amounts of untreated sewage and other pollutants are dumped into the Tigris and Euphrates, moving downstream into the marshes and further degrading the water quality.
References.
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

Euphrates
River in Turkey, Iraq, and Syria
The Euphrates ( ; see below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (lit. 'the land between the rivers'). Originating in Turkey, the Euphrates flows through Syria and Iraq to join the Tigris in the Shatt al-Arab in Iraq, which empties into the Persian Gulf.
The Euphrates is the fifteenth-longest river in Asia and the longest in Western Asia, at about , with a drainage area of that covers six countries.
Etymology.
The term "Euphrates" derives from the Greek "Euphrátēs" (), adapted from , itself from . The Elamite name is ultimately derived from cuneiform 𒌓𒄒𒉣; read as "Buranun" in Sumerian and "Purattu" in Akkadian; many cuneiform signs have a Sumerian pronunciation and an Akkadian pronunciation, taken from a Sumerian word and an Akkadian word that mean the same. The Akkadian "Purattu" has been perpetuated in Semitic languages (cf. "al-Furāt"; "Pǝrāṯ", "Pǝrāṯ") and in other nearby languages of the time (cf. Hurrian "Puranti", Sabarian "Uruttu"). The Elamite, Akkadian, and possibly Sumerian forms are suggested to be from an unrecorded substrate language. Tamaz V. Gamkrelidze and Vyacheslav Ivanov suggest the proto-Sumerian "*burudu" "copper" (Sumerian "urudu") as an origin, with an explanation that Euphrates was the river by which copper ore was transported in rafts, since Mesopotamia was the center of copper metallurgy during the period.
The Euphrates is called "Yeprat" in Armenian (), "Perat" in modern Hebrew (), in Turkish and in Kurdish. The Mandaic name is (), and is often mentioned as (pronounced ) in Mandaean scriptures such as the "Ginza Rabba". In Mandaean scriptures, the Euphrates is considered to be the earthly manifestation of the heavenly yardna or flowing river (similar to the Yazidi concept of Lalish being the earthly manifestation of its heavenly counterpart, or the ‘Sacred House’ Kaaba in Mecca being the earthly manifestation of the heavenly Al-Bayt Al-Mamur).
The earliest references to the Euphrates come from cuneiform texts found in Shuruppak and pre-Sargonic Nippur in southern Iraq and date to the mid-3rd millennium BCE. In these texts, written in Sumerian, the Euphrates is called "Buranuna" (logographic: UD.KIB.NUN). The name could also be written KIB.NUN.(NA) or dKIB.NUN, with the prefix "d" indicating that the river was a divinity. In Sumerian, the name of the city of Sippar in modern-day Iraq was also written UD.KIB.NUN, indicating a historically strong relationship between the city and the river.
Course.
The Euphrates is the longest river of Western Asia. It emerges from the confluence of the Kara Su or Western Euphrates () and the Murat Su or Eastern Euphrates () upstream from the town of Keban in southeastern Turkey. Daoudy and Frenken put the length of the Euphrates from the source of the Murat River to the confluence with the Tigris at , of which is in Turkey, in Syria and in Iraq. The same figures are given by Isaev and Mikhailova. The length of the Shatt al-Arab, which connects the Euphrates and the Tigris with the Persian Gulf, is given by various sources as .
Both the Kara Su and the Murat Su rise northwest from Lake Van at elevations of and amsl, respectively. At the location of the Keban Dam, the two rivers, now combined into the Euphrates, have dropped to an elevation of amsl. From Keban to the Syrian–Turkish border, the river drops another over a distance of less than . Once the Euphrates enters the Upper Mesopotamian plains, its grade drops significantly; within Syria the river falls while over the last stretch between Hīt and the Shatt al-Arab the river drops only .
Discharge.
The Euphrates receives most of its water in the form of rainfall and melting snow, resulting in peak volumes during the months April through May. Discharge in these two months accounts for 36 percent of the total annual discharge of the Euphrates, or even 60–70 percent according to one source, while low runoff occurs in summer and autumn. The average natural annual flow of the Euphrates has been determined from early- and mid-twentieth century records as at Keban, at Hīt and at Hindiya. However, these averages mask the high inter-annual variability in discharge; at Birecik, just north of the Syro–Turkish border, annual discharges have been measured that ranged from a low volume of in 1961 to a high of in 1963.
The discharge regime of the Euphrates has changed dramatically since the construction of the first dams in the 1970s. Data on Euphrates discharge collected after 1990 show the impact of the construction of the numerous dams in the Euphrates and of the increased withdrawal of water for irrigation. Average discharge at Hīt after 1990 has dropped to per second ( per year). The seasonal variability has equally changed. The pre-1990 peak volume recorded at Hīt was per second, while after 1990 it is only per second. The minimum volume at Hīt remained relatively unchanged, rising from per second before 1990 to per second afterward.
Tributaries.
In Syria, three rivers add their water to the Euphrates; the Sajur, the Balikh and the Khabur. These rivers rise in the foothills of the Taurus Mountains along the Syro–Turkish border and add comparatively little water to the Euphrates. The Sajur is the smallest of these tributaries; emerging from two streams near Gaziantep and draining the plain around Manbij before emptying into the reservoir of the Tishrin Dam. The Balikh receives most of its water from a karstic spring near 'Ayn al-'Arus and flows due south until it reaches the Euphrates at the city of Raqqa. In terms of length, drainage basin and discharge, the Khabur is the largest of these three. Its main karstic springs are located around Ra's al-'Ayn, from where the Khabur flows southeast past Al-Hasakah, where the river turns south and drains into the Euphrates near Busayrah. Once the Euphrates enters Iraq, there are no more natural tributaries to the Euphrates, although canals connecting the Euphrates basin with the Tigris basin exist.
Drainage basin.
The drainage basins of the Kara Su and the Murat River cover an area of and , respectively. Estimates of the area of the Euphrates drainage basin vary widely; from a low to a high . Recent estimates put the basin area at , and . The greater part of the Euphrates basin is located in Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. According to both Daoudy and Frenken, Turkey's share is 28 percent, Syria's is 17 percent and that of Iraq is 40 percent. Isaev and Mikhailova estimate the percentages of the drainage basin lying within Turkey, Syria and Iraq at 33, 20 and 47 percent respectively. Some sources estimate that approximately 15 percent of the drainage basin is located within Saudi Arabia, while a small part falls inside the borders of Kuwait. Finally, some sources also include Jordan in the drainage basin of the Euphrates; a small part of the eastern desert


Don't You (Forget About Me)
1985 single by Simple Minds
"Don't You (Forget About Me)" is a song by the Scottish rock band Simple Minds, released as a single in 1985. It was written and composed by the record producer Keith Forsey and the guitarist Steve Schiff for the film "The Breakfast Club" (1985). Simple Minds initially declined to record it, preferring to record their own material, but accepted after several other acts also declined.
"Don't You (Forget About Me)" became a breakout hit for Simple Minds, an iconic song and a 1980s anthem. The single reached No. 1 in the United States and Canada, becoming Simple Minds' biggest hit in the United States. It also reached No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart and reached the top ten in charts around the world.
Recording.
"Don't You (Forget About Me)" was written by Steve Schiff and Keith Forsey for the film "The Breakfast Club" (1985). Forsey and Schiff were inspired by a scene in which an introvert and a school bully bond while no one else is watching. Forsey said, "It was: don't forget, when we're back in the classroom, you're not just a bad guy and we've got other things in common."
Simple Minds initially declined to record "Don't You (Forget About Me)", as they felt they should only record their own material. Their guitarist, Charlie Burchill, said they felt it did not suit them as "we had delusions of being ultra-hip". Their manager, Bruce Findlay, believed it would be successful in the United States. He arranged a private screening of "The Breakfast Club" in an effort to change their minds, but they still declined. Their lead vocalist, Jim Kerr, said later: "We couldn't give a toss about teenage American schoolkids."
Forsey offered "Don't You (Forget About Me)" to Bryan Ferry of Roxy Music, who declined as he was working on his album "Boys and Girls" (1985). Ferry said later: "It was just bad timing ... Keith Forsey sent me a demo of the song and it sounded like a hit to me." The record label, A&M, suggested Corey Hart, who had a hit at the time with "Sunglasses at Night", but Forsey did not think he was the right singer. Forsey's frequent collaborator Billy Idol also declined.
Kerr's wife, the songwriter Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders, liked the song and urged him to record it. Simple Minds agreed to try it after spending a few days with Forsey and becoming friends. They were impressed by Forsey's work in German experimental music, such as Amon Düül II, and his work with Giorgio Moroder, including "I Feel Love" by Donna Summer.
Kerr added the "hey hey hey" to the introduction and the "la la la" to the ending, intending to write new lyrics, but Forsey insisted on keeping them. Burchill added power chords, and said later: "It was almost a caricature – I associated powerchords with American AOR. But it worked." The "Financial Times" wrote that the chords "[helped] turn Forsey's sweet paean to teenage longing into a rousing, stadium-sized anthem".
Simple Minds did not anticipate the song's success. In 2016, Burchill said: "When I listen to it now, it’s obviously a brilliant, well-crafted pop song. I’m embarrassed we dissed it so much."
Release and critical reception.
"Don't You (Forget About Me)" was played during the opening and closing credits of "The Breakfast Club" (1985). It was included on the film's soundtrack. "Don't You (Forget About Me)" was released as a single in February 1985 in the United States and reached No. 1 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 in May 1985. The song reached No. 1 in Canada in June 1985. It is the band's only number-one hit on the US Top Rock Tracks chart, staying atop that chart for three weeks. The song became Simple Minds' breakout hit, as well as its biggest American hit.
"Cashbox" said that "though the lyric theme is a simple enough declaration, the lead vocals and vivid orchestration make the tune complex and moving". The song was included on the band's greatest hits compilation album, "Glittering Prize 81/92" (1992). It soon became a fixture of the band's live sets, with an extended audience participation section during its inclusion on the 2015 tour to promote the band's "Big Music" album.
John Leland of "Spin" described the song as "a romantic and melancholy dance track" that "cuts ice both in the living room and on the dance floor". The song has become iconic, and has been described by AmericanSongwriter.com as "an ‘80s masterpiece" and "an American teen anthem".
Cover versions.
In February 2021, indie folk band Boy & Bear along with Annie Hamilton covered "Don't You (Forget About Me)" for Australian youth radio station Triple J's "Like a Version". The cover placed 92nd in Triple J's first Like a Version Hottest 100. Billy Idol also covered the song as an add-on track to his "Greatest Hits" album in 2001.
Music video.
The music video – filmed inside Knebworth House, Hertfordshire, England – was directed by Daniel Kleinman. It takes place in a darkened room with a chandelier, a rocking horse, a jukebox, and television sets displaying scenes from "The Breakfast Club". The room gets increasingly cluttered with random objects as the video progresses until the last minute. The video was published on YouTube on 3 December 2010; as of February 2025, it had been viewed more than 358 million times.
Charts.
<templatestyles src="Col-begin/styles.css"/>
Personnel.
Simple Minds
References.
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

Except Sometimes
Except Sometimes is the debut studio album of American singer-songwriter Molly Ringwald released on April 9, 2013, through Concord Records. It is a jazz record that follows a tradition of the Ringwald family set by her father. "I grew up in a home filled with music and had an early appreciation of jazz since my dad was a jazz musician (pianist Bob Ringwald). Beginning at around age three I started singing with his band and jazz music has continued to be one of my three passions along with acting and writing. I like to say jazz music is my musical equivalent of comfort food. It's always where I go back to when I want to feel grounded," Ringwald said in a statement. The album received generally mixed to positive reviews, with many critics praising Ringwald's vocals. The closing track of the album is a cover version of Simple Minds' "Don't You (Forget About Me)" which was part of the soundtrack of the movie "The Breakfast Club" that starred Ringwald. Ringwald dedicated this track "to the memory of J.H." This refers to John Hughes, Ringwald's director in "The Breakfast Club" and many of her other films.
Background and release.
Long before she became known as a Golden Globe-nominated actress, Ringwald was singing. She started performing with her pianist father’s jazz band when she was three and has never stopped. Ringwald recorded "Except Sometimes" with Peter Smith (who also produced), on piano, Clayton Cameron on drums, Allen Mezquida on alto saxophone, and Trevor Ware on bass. Together, they put a new spin on such jazz and musical standards as "The Very Thought of You", "I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)", "I'll Take Romance", "Sooner or Later", and "Where Is Love". "It was really hard to narrow it down", Ringwald said, of selecting the album's 10 tracks. "It was basically songs that I felt connected to and songs that I felt we played together well as a band. As much as I love traditional jazz, my real interest is more modern, more from the Great American Song Book." The album was released on April 9, 2013.
Development.
Ringwald has always wanted to release an album, but during the beginning of her career she felt the time wasn't right to release an album, as she felt no one would have been interested in the type of music she wanted to sing, so she decided to just focus on acting. She was cast in "Tempest", and for the next few decades, her public focus was on acting, as she starred in such films as "Fresh Horses", "Betsy's Wedding", "King Lear", "The Pick-Up Artist", and, of course, her trio of films with John Hughes, "Sixteen Candles", "The Breakfast Club" and "Pretty In Pink". "Once I started to act I felt like I had to make that decision," she says. Plus, during the '80s, "I didn't think there was a place for the music that I was interested in," she says. "There was no Madeline Peyroux, Diana Krall, Norah Jones… I didn't feel like anybody was going to listen to the kind of music that I wanted to sing. I thought, I'll just keep singing with my dad and focus on my acting." She later began to work on her debut album in early 2012 with an intended 2013 release date. She felt people would have interest in her music at this time of her career and wanted to experiment with jazz music as that's what she grew up listening to.
Musical style and influences.
Speaking of the album's influences, Ringwald said, "I had quite the musical repertoire; it was pretty much traditional jazz but there was some Bessie Smith and Helen Kane, the original Betty Boop." Inspirations for the album also included Ella Fitzgerald, Blossom Dearie, and Susannah McCorkle. "Blossom Dearie was the only one I got to see live. Susannah's recordings have really influenced me. I think she was really special in her gifts of interpretation and how much humanity she brought to the songs."
Critical reception.
Editors at AllMusic rated this album 2 out of 5 stars, with critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine writing that the album is distinguished from other instances of actors making albums "by a more-adventurous-than-usual selection of songs... and a nicely intimate vibe". The album received generally positive reviews. Jonathan Widran of "Music Connection" said, "Fans of the '80s teen icon, and skeptics alike, may wonder why she is suddenly turning her artistic attention to jazz, but Molly Ringwald has not only got it in her DNA—her dad, Bob Ringwald, is a notable pianist and bandleader—but she was recording with him long before she began acting. Ringwald lends her cool, sultry vocals and strong instinctive phrasing to a colorful mix of standards, sweetly balancing the playful swing and gentle intimacy with the help of her ensemble of top musicians, led by pianist Peter Smith. Jazz radio has rightly jumped first on her graceful twist on 'Don't You (Forget About Me)', which infectiously blends her past and present and resonates emotionally beyond its inclusion as a nostalgic novelty." In a more mixed review, Ted Scheinman of "Slant Magazine" said, "On the spectrum of vanity projects, "Except Sometimes" far outstrips Gwyneth Paltrow's country-western excursions without ever quite achieving the distinction and charm of Zooey Deschanel singing trad jazz over ukuleles. Deschanel punches above her weight, vocally speaking, but Jonathan Lethem once wrote that the secret to good popular singing lies in the proper negotiation between your limitations and your aspirations. Here, it doesn't even feel like Ringwald's punching; her signature tic is to start each line an eighth note or so too late, a technique that feels less effortless than lazy (pregnant pauses do not constitute phrasing). The most self-aware moment is the closing song, a soft-jazz take on 'Don't You (Forget About Me)', the iconic theme song from "The Breakfast Club". Reframing the song with a jazz combo highlights the rather dopey lyrics, but that appears to be part of the joke. 'You wouldn't be buying this CD if my name wasn't Molly Ringwald,' is the message—and on this score, at least, she straight-up nails it."
References.
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

The Breakfast Club
1985 film by John Hughes
The Breakfast Club is a 1985 American indie teen coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes. It stars Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy. The film tells the story of five teenagers from different high school cliques who serve a Saturday detention overseen by their authoritarian vice principal.
Hughes had written the script in 1982, and began casting for the film after the release of "Sixteen Candles" (1984). Filming took place from March to May 1984, and the entire film was shot at Maine North High School in Des Plaines, Illinois.
The film premiered in Los Angeles on February 7, 1985, and was theatrically released by Universal Pictures on February 15, 1985. It grossed $51.5 million against a $1 million budget, and earned acclaim from critics, who consider it to be one of Hughes's most memorable and recognized works. The media subsequently referred to the film's five main actors as members of a group called the "Brat Pack". In 2015, the film was digitally remastered and was re-screened in 430 theaters in celebration of its 30th anniversary.
In 2016, "The Breakfast Club" was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The film has been considered as one of the best films of the 1980s, and one of the best teen films of all time.
Plot.
On Saturday, March 24, 1984, five students at Shermer High School in Shermer, Illinois, report for an all-day detention: socially awkward Brian Johnson, jock Andrew Clark, shy loner Allison Reynolds, popular girl Claire Standish, and rebellious delinquent John Bender. They gather in the school library and meet with their vice principal Richard Vernon, who warns them not to talk or move from their seats and assigns each of them the task of writing a thousand-word essay describing "who you think you are."
Bender ignores the rules and spends his time antagonizing the others and defying Vernon, who gives him eight additional weekends of detention. The students sneak off to retrieve Bender's marijuana stash from his locker. When they see Vernon returning to the library, Bender deliberately gets caught to allow the others to sneak back in.
Locked in a storage closet as punishment, Bender is berated by Vernon even further who tells him that he wants Bender to prove how tough he is and is offered a chance to punch Vernon but fails to act. He soon escapes into the ceiling panels and falls into the library, where the others hide him from Vernon.
The students pass the time arguing, listening to music, and smoking marijuana, gradually opening up about their home lives and their reasons for being in detention:
Despite their differences, the students realize they all face similar problems; Andrew and Allison bond over their complex relationships with their parents; Brian and Claire each feel anxiety over being a virgin. Still, the group suspects that their new friendships will end once detention is over.
Meanwhile, Vernon complains to the janitor, Carl, that students have become less disciplined and more arrogant compared to the ones he had when he was a teacher, but Carl suggests that Vernon is the one who has changed and cares too much about what the students think of him.
The group convinces Brian to complete Vernon's essay on everyone's behalf. Claire gives Allison a makeover, which sparks romantic interest from Andrew, and Bender crawls back to the closet, where Claire challenges her "pristine" reputation by kissing him. As the students part ways, Allison and Andrew kiss, and she rips the state championship patch off his letterman jacket to keep; Claire gives Bender one of her diamond earrings, and they share their own kiss.
Vernon reads Brian's essay, which asserts that the vice principal has made petty assumptions about all of them and declares that "each one of us is a brain (Brian), an athlete (Andrew), a basket case (Allison), a princess (Claire), and a criminal (Bender)." "Does that answer your question? Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club." Bender walks home across the school's football field and raises his fist in the air triumphantly as he leaves.
Cast.
<templatestyles src="Div col/styles.css"/>
Production.
Development.
The title was originally "The Lunch Bunch", but a friend of John's from another school had a detention class called "The Breakfast Club", so he decided to go with that. Hughes wrote the script around the time when he was writing "Sixteen Candles", but he wrote the "Sixteen Candles" script in mere days and it impressed the studio executives and they chose it to be his directorial debut.
Casting.
Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall both starred in Hughes's 1984 film "Sixteen Candles". Towards the end of filming, Hughes asked them to be in "The Breakfast Club". Hall became the first to be cast, agreeing to the role of Brian Johnson; his real-life mother and sister played his character's mother and sister in the film. Ringwald was originally approached to play the character of Allison Reynolds, but she was "really upset" because she wanted to play Claire Standish (then named "Cathy" in the first draft of the script), which saw the auditions of Robin Wright, Jodie Foster, Diane Lane and Laura Dern. She eventually convinced Hughes and the studio to give her the part. The role of Allison ultimately went to Ally Sheedy.
Emilio Estevez was originally cast in the role of John Bender, but when Hughes was unable to find someone to play Andrew Clark, Estevez was recast. Nicolas Cage was considered for the role of John Bender, which was the last role to be cast, though the role was narrowed down to John Cusack and Judd Nelson. Alan Ruck also auditioned for the role. Hughes originally cast Cusack, but decided to replace him with Nelson before shooting began, because Cusack did not look intimidating enough for the role. At one point, Hughes was disappointed in Nelson because he stayed in character and harassed Ringwald off-camera, with the other actors having to convince Hughes to not fire him. Rick Moranis was originally cast as the janitor but was released by Ned Tanen, who felt that Moranis' portrayal as an over-the-top Russian caricature didn't suit the serious nature of the film. Moranis was replaced by John Kapelos.
Filming.
In 1999, Hughes said that his request to direct the film met with resistance and skepticism because he lacked filmmaking experience. He ultimately convinced the film's investors that due to the modest $1 million budget and its single-location shoot, he could greatly minimize their risk. Hughes originally thought that "The Breakfast Club" would be his directorial debut. He opted for an insular, largely one-room set and wrote about high school students, who would be played by younger actors.
Principal photography began on March 28, 1984, and ended in May. Filming took place at Maine North High School in Des Plaines, Illinois, which had been closed in May 1981. The same setting was used for interior scenes of Hughes's 1986 film "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", which featured exterior shots from nearby Glenbrook North High School. The appearance of the library at Maine North High, considered too small for use in the film, prompted the crew to build a virtually identical but larger set in the school's gymnasium. The actors rehearsed for three weeks and then shot the film in sequence. Nelson tried other opinions for the ending scene until eventually landing the fist pump. The dance sequence was originally scripted with Claire dancing alone, but Ringwald felt embarrassed to perform solo and Hughes agreed to have the others join her. On the "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" DVD commentary (featured on the 2004 DVD version), Hughes revealed that he shot the two films concurrently to save time and money, and some outtakes of both films feature elements of the film crews working on the other film. The first print was 150 minutes in length.
During a cast reunion in honor of the film's 25th anniversary, Ally Sheedy revealed that a director's cut existed; but Hughes's widow, who was also present, did not disclose any details concerning its whereabouts. In 2015, the first draft of the film's script was discovered in a Maine South High School cabinet as district employees were moving offices to a new building.
Poster.
The film's poster, featuring the five characters huddled together, was photographed by Annie Leibovitz toward the end of shooting. The shot of five actors gazing at the camera influenced the way teen films were marketed from that point on. The poster refers to the five "types" of the story using slightly different terms than those used in the film, and in a different sequence, stating "They were five total strangers with nothing in common, meeting for the first time. A brain, a beauty, a jock, a rebel and a recluse". "The Breakfast Club" poster "family shot", notably including Bender's raised fist, was satirized in the poster for the comedy-horror film "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2". It also inspired the title page of chapter 29 of the manga series "Akane-banashi".
Themes.
The main theme of the film is the constant struggle of the American teenager to be understood, both by adults and by themselves. It explores the pressure put on teenagers to fit into their own realms of high school social constructs, as well as the lofty expectations of their parents, teachers, and other authority figures. On the surface, the students have little in common with each other, but they eventually bond over a common disdain for the aforementioned issues of peer pressure and parental expectations. Stereotyping is another theme. Once the obvious stereotypes are broken down, the characters "empathize with each other's struggles, dismiss some of the inaccuracies of their first impressions, and discover that they are more similar than different". The main adult character, Mr. Vernon, is portrayed with arguably no redeeming qualities; throughout the film, he consistently talks down to students, accesses private student information (then attempts to cover his tracks when confronted by a fellow employee) and forcefully flaunts his authority at each opportunity. He continually and aggressively challenges Bender, who is the only one of the group who chooses to stand up to him.
Release.
The film premiered in Los Angeles on February 7, 1985. Universal Pictures released the film in cinemas on February 15, 1985, in the United States.
Home media.
"The Breakfast Club" was first released on VHS and LaserDisc. In 2003, the film was released on DVD as part of the "High School Reunion Collection". In 2008, a "Flashback Edition" DVD was released with several special features, including an audio commentary with Anthony Michael Hall and Judd Nelson. A 25th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray was released in 2010, and the same disc was re-released with a DVD and digital copy in 2012 as part of Universal's 100th Anniversary series.
On March 10, 2015, the 30th Anniversary Edition was released. This release was digitally remastered and restored from the original 35mm film negatives for better picture quality on DVD, Digital HD and Blu-ray. The Criterion Collection released a special edition two-disc DVD set and a Blu-ray disc on January 2, 2018. The transfer was the same as the previous release but included new features such as fifty minutes of new, deleted and extended scenes, an Electronic Press Kit, new and archival interviews, a 1985 excerpt of the "Today" program, a new video essay and an episode of "This American Life".
Reception.
Critical response.
Roger Ebert awarded three stars out of four and called the performances "wonderful", adding that the film was "more or less predictable" but "doesn't need earthshaking revelations; it's about kids who grow willing to talk to one another, and it has a surprisingly good ear for the way they speak." Gene Siskel of the "Chicago Tribune" gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, and wrote: "This confessional formula has worked in films as different as "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", "The Big Chill", and "My Dinner with Andre" and it works here too. It works especially well in "The Breakfast Club" because we keep waiting for the film to break out of its claustrophobic set and give us a typical teenage movie sex-or-violence scene. That doesn't happen, much to our delight." Kathleen Carroll from the "New York Daily News" stated, "Hughes has a wonderful knack for communicating the feelings of teenagers, as well as an obvious rapport with his exceptional cast–who deserve top grades."
Other reviews were less positive. Janet Maslin of "The New York Times" wrote, "There are some good young actors in "The Breakfast Club", though a couple of them have been given unplayable roles", namely Ally Sheedy and Judd Nelson, adding, "The five young stars would have mixed well even without the fraudulent encounter-group candor towards which "The Breakfast Club" forces them. Mr. Hughes, having thought up the characters and simply flung them together, should have left well enough alone." James Harwood of "Variety" panned the film as a movie that "will probably pass as deeply profound among today's teenage audience, meaning the youngsters in the film spend most of their time talking to each other instead of dancing, dropping their drawers and throwing food. This, on the other hand, should not suggest they have anything intelligent to say."
Among retrospective reviews, James Berardinelli wrote in 1998: "Few will argue that "The Breakfast Club" is a great film, but it has a candor that is unexpected and refreshing in a sea of too-often generic teen-themed films. The material is a little talky (albeit not in a way that will cause anyone to confuse it with something by Éric Rohmer), but it's hard not to be drawn into the world of these characters."
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 86% based on 111 reviews, with an average rating of 7.60/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "If "The Breakfast Club"'s gestures towards authenticity are occasionally undercut by trendy flourishes, its blistering emotional honesty and talented troupe of young actors catapult it to the top of the teen comedy class." Metacritic gave the film a weighted average score of 66 out of 100 based on 25 reviews from mainstream critics, considered to be "generally favorable reviews".
Writing in 2015, P. J. O'Rourke called "The Breakfast Club" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" "Hughes's masterwork[s]". He described the former film as an example of Hughes's politics, in that the students do not organize a protest, but "present themselves, like good conservatives do, as individuals and place the highest value, like this conservative does, on goofing off. Otherwise known as individual liberty."
Box office.
In February 1985, the film debuted at No. 3 at the box office (behind "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Witness"). Grossing $45,875,171 domestically and $51,525,171 worldwide, the film was a box office success, given its $1 million budget.
Accolades.
Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Paul Gleason and Ally Sheedy all won a Silver Bucket of Excellence Award at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards.
Legacy.
"The Breakfast Club" has been called the quintessential 1980s film. In 2008, "Empire" magazine ranked it at number 369 on their "The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time" list. It later ranked at number 38 on their 2014 list. Similarly, "The New York Times" placed the film on its "Best 1000 Movies Ever" list and "Entertainment Weekly" ranked the film number 1 on its list of the 50 Best High School Movies. In the 2001 parody film "Not Another Teen Movie", Gleason reprised his role as Assistant Principal Vernon in a short scene that parodies "The Breakfast Club". To emphasize its eminent position within the canon of American coming-of-age films and its continued influence to this day, scholar Björn Sonnenberg-Schrank called "The Breakfast Club" "the "Citizen Kane" of the teen film genre". Sebastian Stan described the superhero film "Thunderbolts*" (2025) as ""The Breakfast Club" of Marvel".
In 2005, the film received the Silver Bucket of Excellence Award in honor of its 20th anniversary at the "MTV Movie Awards". For the event, MTV attempted to reunite the original cast. Sheedy, Ringwald, and Hall appeared together on stage, with Kapelos in the audience; Gleason gave the award to his former castmates. Estevez could not attend because of other commitments, and Nelson appeared earlier in the show but left before the on-stage reunion, prompting Hall to joke that the two were "in Africa with Dave Chappelle". Yellowcard performed Simple Minds' anthem for the film, "Don't You (Forget About Me)", at the awards. At the 82nd Academy Awards (March 7, 2010), Sheedy, Hall, Ringwald, and Nelson all appeared in a tribute to John Hughes—who had died the prior year—along with other actors who had worked with him, including Jon Cryer from "Pretty in Pink", Matthew Broderick from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", and Macaulay Culkin from "Home Alone". In 2012, the Nickelodeon television series "Victorious" had their own spoof on the film, in the episode titled "The Breakfast Bunch".
In 2018, "The New Yorker" published an article written by Ringwald in which she critiqued Hughes's films "in the age of #MeToo", beginning with a discussion of how she explained to her ten-year-old daughter what happened in the scene when her character seems to be sexually assaulted under a desk. The essay provoked some to claim that Ringwald was criticising the director who made her into a film star, but she was defended by Jenny Han for a "tender, fair-minded piece".
Soundtrack.
The film's soundtrack, The Breakfast Club (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), was produced by British pop musician Keith Forsey and released on February 19, 1985, by A&M Records. The album peaked at No. 17 on the US "Billboard" 200 album chart. The song "Don't You (Forget About Me)", performed by Scottish rock band Simple Minds, was released as a single on February 23, 1985, in the United States and reached No. 1 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. It was released on April 8, 1985, in the United Kingdom.
Overview.
The album contains ten songs that are played partially throughout the movie, performed by bands and singers of the rock and new wave genre, including three instrumental songs by record producer Keith Forsey. Simple Minds's international hit "Don't You (Forget About Me)" is played in the opening and closing credits. A music video was made for this song and for Wang Chung's "Fire in the Twilight" (reached No 110 on the US "Billboard Hot 100"). Not included on the soundtrack is the "Colonel Bogey March" that the students are whistling when Principal Vernon walks into the room.
Critical reception.
In a June 25, 1985 review for "The Village Voice", music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a "D−" and said that it has "utterly negligible" songs, and he commended Simple Minds for trying to distance themselves from their song, "Don't You (Forget About Me)", best known for being played during the film's opening and closing credits. In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the soundtrack three out of five stars and wrote that, apart from Simple Minds' "undisputed masterpiece", the album is largely "disposable" and marred by "'80s artifacts" and "forgettable instrumentals".
Cancelled sequel.
Hughes had considered a sequel to the film, focusing on the teens reuniting years later while serving detention in university, now as the polar opposite of how they were in the first film. The film was never made prior to Hughes' death.
References.
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
Further reading.
<templatestyles src="Refbegin/styles.css" />

Don't You Forget About Me (film)
Don't You Forget About Me is a 2009 Canadian documentary film about screenwriter, director, and producer John Hughes. Directed by Matt Austin, the film was named after the 1985 song of the same name by Simple Minds, which in turn was the theme song for Hughes' film "The Breakfast Club". The film specifically focused on Hughes' fade from prominence in the early 1990s.
Background.
The documentary details the journey of a group of young filmmakers who go in search of the reclusive icon, documenting their search through interviews of the people with whom Hughes had worked and fans of his films. Those interviewed include Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Kelly Le Brock, Mia Sara, Alan Ruck, Kevin Smith, Roger Ebert, and Jim Kerr of the band Simple Minds. Filming began in 2006.
Home media.
The film was completed in 2008, but did not find a distributor for over a year.
When Hughes died of a heart attack, aged 59, on August 6, 2009, a bidding war broke out for the film. It was announced on August 11, 2009, that the film would be distributed by Alliance Films. The film aired on the TV channel Encore for a brief time as well.
References.
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

Don't Forget
2008 studio album by Demi Lovato
Don't Forget is the debut studio album by American singer Demi Lovato. It was released on September 23, 2008, by Hollywood Records. She started working on the album in September 2007, while filming the Disney Channel original movie "Camp Rock". Lovato co-wrote most of the songs with the Jonas Brothers, who produced the album along with John Fields. Other songwriters include Kara DioGuardi, Jason Reeves and Rooney frontman Robert Schwartzman. "Don't Forget" features primarily a power pop and rock sound, with the lyrical content addressing adolescent topics including heartbreak and independence.
The album was met with generally positive reviews from critics, many of whom noted distinctive similarities with the works of the Jonas Brothers. "Don't Forget" debuted at number two on the US "Billboard" 200 and was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It has sold over 540,000 copies in the country. Elsewhere, "Don't Forget" reached the top 10 on the Canadian Albums Chart and reached the top 40 in Spain and New Zealand.
"Get Back" was released as the lead single from the album and reached number 43 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100. "La La Land" was the second single from the album, peaking at number 52 in the United States and inside the top 40 in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The third single, its title track, reached number 41 in the US. "Don't Forget" was further promoted by the tour .
Background.
At 15 years old, Lovato was discovered by Disney Channel during an open call audition in her hometown of Dallas, Texas and made her debut on the short series "As the Bell Rings" in 2007. Lovato subsequently auditioned for a role on the television series "Jonas", but did not get the part. Instead, Lovato received the lead role in the musical film "Camp Rock" after she impressed