Tigris Tunnel

The Tigris Tunnel so-called, about 23km/14mi northwest of Lice on the Bingöl road, is a 750m/820yds-long cave through which flows what many consider to be the source of the Tigris, surfacing further west as a rock spring. Above this "source of the Tigris" are two more caves, with rock steps (cut presumably by the Urartians) and a natural rock arch leading to them. At the entrance to the larger cave there is an Assyrian rock relief of King Salmanassar III (858-824 B.C.) and some badly weathered cuneiform text. About 750m/820yds further east at river level two more Assyrian reliefs can be seen on the steep rock face: King Tiglapileser I on the left, King Salmanassar III on the right (only visible in good light).