Istanbul Waterways



Although Istanbul is located at the intersection of important waterways, it is a "waterless" city. Due to the inadequacy of the resources within the city walls, since ancient times, drinking and utility water supply to the city has been provided from the outside in parallel with the advancement of engineering technologies. The system of bringing, storing and distributing water from Thrace to the city, which was developed especially during the Roman-Byzantine periods, continued with new arrangements in the Ottoman period. Istanbul with its aqueducts, canals, cisterns for storing incoming water, maqsem (divisions) built for fair water use in the Ottoman period, fountains and monumental fountains is one of the rare cities where the water architecture and technology can be traced uninterruptedly from the Roman period to the present.


Istanbul Waterways


Hadrian's Water Supply Line

It is the first water transmission system of Istanbul.

It was built during the reign of Roman emperor Hadrian (AD 117-138).

During the Byzantine period, it supplied water from the Belgrade

forest to the Basilica Cistern, and the Great Palace district.



Valens Water Supply Line

The water line goes down in history as the longest in the Roman world
with 426 km.

It supplied water to structures below 59 m level.

It supplied water to the monumental Binbirdirek and Şerefiye Cisterns
located along the Mese (Divanyolu), the main street of the historical
peninsula in both the Byzantine and Ottoman times.



Kırçeşme Water Supply Line

This line, supplying water from the Belgrade forest to the city, dates
back to late Roman period.

The waterways were restored by the order of Fatih Sultan Mehmed II,
and 21 aqueducts were built on the line.

Between 1554 and 1564, the line was started to be reconstructed by
Mimar Sinan, the chief architect of the Ottoman court.


Taksim Water Supply Line

Beyoğlu and its surroundings did not have a central water system
until the mid-18th century.

People met their water needs from wells, cisterns and regional
springs.

The construction of Taksim line began in the first years of the reign of
Sultan Mahmud I; it was continued during the reigns of Abdülhamid I,
Selim III and Mahmud II.


Terkos Water Supply Line


In 1874, Sultan Abdülaziz granted a 40-year concession to Kamil Bey.
the first mayor of Beyoğlu district, in addition to engineer Mr. Ternau,
to bring water from Terkos Lake to the city.

This concession was transferred to a joint stock company in 1882.

In 1883, a steam-operated pumping station with a daily capacity of
33 thousand cubic meters was built on the edge of Terkos Lake.

From 1883 to 1926, the water given to the city was unrefined.

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Halkalı Water Supply Line

Commissioned by Fatih Sultan Mehmed II.

Only six aqueducts on the branches of the Halkalı Water Supply Line,
have survived until today: Bozdoğan (Valens) Aqueduct, Paşa Aque-
duct, Mazul Aqueduct, Kumrulu Aqueduct, Avasköy Aqueduct (Black
Aqueduct, Yılanlı Aqueduct) and Allpaşa Aqueduct.



Üsküdar Water Supply Line

During the Ottoman period, a total of 35 water lines, 18 of which are
large and 17 small, were built in Üsküdar.

The water collected from Çamlica was distributed to fountains,
mosques, baths, dervish lodges and churches via 3 to 15 km long
water lines.




Hamidiye Water Supply Line

Built by Abdülhamid II in 1902 due to insufficient water supply in
Taksim.

Water acquired from the springs was brought to the Cendere Pumpi
Station.

This water of low hardness and high quality were distributed to the
districts on the route from Cendere Pumping Station to Beşiktaş Yıldız
Palace.















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