2020 Scienceline Publication

Journal of Civil Engineering and Urbanism

Volume 10, Issue 3: 32-34; May 25, 2020

ISSN-2252-0430

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.29252/scil.2020.jceu5

Historical Water Conveyances to Aphrodisias and the Yeşilköy-

Kayapinar Water Tunnel

Rasoul Daneshfaraz¹and Ahmet Alkan²



¹Department of Civil Engineering University of Maragheh Maragheh, Iran

²Faculty of Engineering, Civil Engineering Department, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey

^Corresponding author’s Email: ahmet.alkan@deu.edu.tr

ABSTRACT

Anatolia is considered as one of the foremost open-air museums of the world with regard to historical hydraulic

works. The antique city Aphrodisias, near the settlement Geyre at the Karacasu District in the Aydın Province of

Turkey, was supplied from two regions by long-distance water conveyance systems: (a) the 22 km long Yenidere

(Timeles) water conveyance supplying the springwater near the village Güzelköy of the Tavas District in the

Denizli Province, from the south-east (the conveyance from Sekiköy joined probably this system); (b) the 9 km long

Işıklar water conveyance supplying the springwater near same-named village of the Karacasu District of the Aydın

Province, from the north-west (the conveyance from Derindere springs joined probably this system). The Yenidere

(Timeles) water conveyance is one of the rarely encountered historical example of water transfer between adjacent

basins; and moreover, the length of the tunnel, of roughly 1% slope and 1m³/s capacity, digged with the ‘qanat’

system, is about 5 km from the entrance in the south-west of Yeşilköy and the outlet in the north-east of the village

Kayapınar, and ranks among the longest ones of its kind in the antique world. This water conveyance system,

especially the above mentioned tunnel section, which has a special place among the historical water works in

Turkey, should be carefully investigated, duely repaired, and preserved for the future according to its international

relevance.

Key words: Aphrodisias, Yenidere dam, Timeles, Waterways

INTRODUCTION

this tunnel, known as the Tunnel region tunnel, is a flood

control that will ensure the discharge of closed reservoirs.

It was also noted whether it was part of another system

that could transmit water to Aphrodisias.

A second study is a diploma study prepared by Oktay

Gündoğdu and Ö.Özgü Süleymanoğlu in 2001 under the

direction of Orhan Baykan and Ersel Tanrıöver

(Gündoğdu and Süleymanoğlu, 2001 ). In this study, more

detailed information about Işıklar and Derincedere

waterways were found. The passage of Işıklar waterway

was given partially differently from the first study (Çakır

et al., 1978 ).

A summary statement of this study was presented to

the preparatory conference of the 5th World Water Forum

of DSI in 2008 (Süleymanoğlu et al., 2008 ).

In the work of Angela Commito and Felipe Rojas

published in 2012 (Commito and Rojas, 2012 ), a very

different pass was given for Işıklar waterway; The

possible passage of the waterway close to 25 km called

Timeles (Yenidere) waterway, which compiles and

transmits the spring waters from Tavas region from the

southeast to the city, was also given. Angela Commito

Turkey in terms of historical water structures is one of the

world's leading open-air museums (Öziş et al., 2014; Öziş,

2015 a, b ). In this context, the waterways of the ancient

city of Aphrodisias (Aphrodisias), located near the Geyre

settlement in Karacasu District of Aydın Province, are also

of international interest in the context of many historical

water structures in the Karya region (Tanrıöver, 2002).

The first study on systems that transmit water to

Aphrodisias and to determine passes is the diploma project

prepared by Meral Çakır, Özcan Verim and Refik Afşar

under the direction of Turhan Acatay in 1978 (Çakır et al.,

1978 ). In this study, two waterways were identified, one

from the north of Aphrodisias, from the springs in the

north of Işıklar village, which transmitted water to the city,

and the other from the Derindere springs in the east,

reaching the water reservoir a few km north of the city.

Ayhan Atalay found a tunnel mouth in the east of

Kayapınar village in the early 1990s; In the book of Ünal

Öziş (Öziş, 1994 ) in 1994 (Öziş, 1994 ) summarizing the

findings of Çakır et al. (1978), due to his studies on

Ephesus waterways, Ünal Öziş's 1994 book (Öziş, 1994 ),

To cite this paper: Daneshfaraz R and Alkan A. (2020). Historical Water Conveyances to Aphrodisias and the Yeşilköy-Kayapinar Water Tunnel. J. Civil Eng. Urban., 10 (3): 32-

34. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.29252/scil.2020.jceu5

J. Civil Eng. Urban., 10 (3): 32-34, 2020

summarized similar findings in her report (Commito,

2015 ) to the symposium in Antalya in 2014.

Rojas, 2012; Commito, 2015 ). However, in a second study

(Taşer, 2015 ), it was determined that the crossing towards

the northwest, Aphrodisias, in a second study (Taşer,

2015 ), instead of a curvature directed to the northeast and

Seki region after Kocadere valley in this passage (Figure

1). In this case, the length of the waterway, which is

around 25 km, decreases to the order of 22 km.

It is highly probable that the waterway that transmits

spring water around Seki village has also joined the

Yenidere waterway in the plain.

The length of the transmission line from the Yenidere

Dam, which has left the initial section of the Yenidere

waterway under water to the tunnel exit point near

Kayapınar Village, is 11 km and the slope of the channel

is close to one thousandths according to the elevation

difference of 10.1 meters between these two points. On the

arch located at the passage of a small stream bed just

downstream of the Yenidere Dam, there is a channel ruin

in the view of an open canal, approximately 0.85 m high

and 1.70 m wide. Considering the manning medium

roughness coefficient n = 0,025, it is possible for the

system to transmit a flow rate of 1.0 m3 / s according to

this slope and size.

The last study on this subject is the finishing project

prepared by Yüksel Taşer under the management of

Ahmet Alkan in 2015, examining the Yenidere waterway

(Taşer, 2015 ). In this study, the last 6 km long section of

Yenidere (Timeles) waterway before reaching the city

passes significantly more southwest.

In these waterways, there are many interesting water

structures such as open canal, masonry gallery,

transportation gallery, tunnel, transportation shaft,

aqueduct, reverse siphon.

As an important historical example belonging to the

'water transfer between basins' of Yenidere waterway, it is

a rare historical example, the tunnel section opened

between the tunnel entrance in the southwest of Yeşilköy

and the tunnel exit in the northeast of Kayapınar, 5 km. It

is one of the longest examples of its kind with its length in

the order.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORICAL SUITES OF

AFRODİSYAS

The transition from the Tavas closed basin to the

Kocadere branch valley of the Büyük Menderes basin was

provided by a 5 km long tunnel. Some intermediate

chimneys of the tunnel, which was built with the 'Kanat'

method, were encountered during the possible passage.

Waterways from Işıklar district

The passage of the waterway starting from the sources

2-3 km north of Işıklar village continues differently in

three studies after a few km in the southwest of the village;

in the first two studies (Çakır et al., 1978; Gündoğdu and

Süleymanoğlu, 2001), with small differences, they head

towards the Derincedere valley in the southeast; In the

third study (Commito and Rojas, 2012; Commito, 2015), it

turns to the southwest and reaches the city with a

curvature. In the first study, the waterway (Çakır et al.,

1978), whose waters were collected from springs around

Fığla hill, which stretches along the eastern shore of

Derincedere but ends in a water tank before reaching the

city, is not mentioned in the following studies, two water

structure remains are mentioned (Commito and Rojas,

2012; Commito, 2015 ).

Afrodisyas

Seki

Güzelköy

Yeþilköy

Kayapýnar

Yenidere Barajý

2.0

4.0 km

Işıklar waterway gorge has been more westward than

the first two studies and more eastward than the third

study; By joining the arm from Derincedere springs, it

seems highly probable that a single waterway has come to

the city.

Figure 1. Possible passage of the Yenidere (Timeles)

waterway that transmits water to Aphrodisias from the

southeast, Tavas closed basin.

Waterways from Tavas direction

YEŞİLKÖY-KAYAPINAR WATER TUNNEL

The crossing of the Yenidere (Timeles) waterway,

which transmits the waters of the springs near Güzelköy to

Aphrodisias from the Tavas closed basin, was largely

determined in the first comprehensive study (Commito and

The tunnel section (Commito and Rojas, 2012; Commito )

on the Yenidere waterway between the tunnel entrance in

Daneshfaraz and Alkan et al., 2020

Commito A, Rojas F (2012). The aqueducts of Aphrodisias, The

the southwest of Yeşilköy and the tunnel exit in the

northeast of Kayapınar by the 'kanât' method (Grewe,

1998, 2014; Atalay et al., 2003; Öziş et al., 2005. 2015;

Taşer, 2015 ) is one of the longest examples of its kind

with its height of 5 km.

Aphrodisias regional survey 5 (Eds. C Ratté, HD Staebler) Zabern,

Mainz, Almanya, 289-307. Google Scholar

Çakır M, Verim Ö, Afşar R (1978). Antik Afrodisias kenti su yapıları

(Ancient Aphrodisias city water structures), Diploma projesi

(Diploma Project), Mühendislik Bilimleri Fakültesi (Faculty of

Engineering Sciences, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye.

The size of the tunnel as it is in the nature of the long

history of water tunnel in Turkey, is sized to be counted

among the world's leading long history of water tunnels.

Grewe K. Aquädukte (2014). Wasser für Roms Städte; der große

Überblick-vom Römerkanal zum Aquäduktmarmor. Regionalia

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CONCLUSION

Gündoğdu O, Süleymanoğlu Ö (2001). Aphrodisias tarihsel su iletimi

(Aphrodisias historical water transmission)”, Diploma Projesi

(Diploma Project), Mühendislik Fakültesi (Engineering Faculty),

Pamukkale Üniversitesi, Denizli, Türkiye.

The Yenidere (Timeles) waterway, which has transmitted

water to the ancient city of Aphrodisias, is to be examined,

thoroughly preserved, carefully protected, and one of the

rare examples of water transfer between the basins, as well

as the international quality of the tunnel section. is

important.

Öziş Ü (2015a) Tarihi su yapıları açısından Türkiye’nin dünya’daki

önemi (Turkey's importance in the world in terms of historical

water structures). İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi Vakfı Dergisi

(Journal of Istanbul Technical University Foundation), 70, 49-51.

Öziş Ü. (2015b). Water works through four millenia in Turkey.

Environmental

Processes.

2(3):

559-73.

DECLARATIONS

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40710-015-0085-3 , Google Scholar

Öziş Ü, Baykan O, Atalay A, Arısoy Y, Alkan A, Özdemir Y (2014).

Historische Wasserbauten in der Türkei, Wasserwirtschaft, 7/8, 83-86.

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Acknowledgment

The authors directed Prof. Dr. Turhan Acatay, Prof.

Dr. Orhan Baykan and Civil Engineer. To Ersel Tanrıöver;

Meral Çakır, Özcan Verim, Refik Afşar, Oktay Gündoğdu,

Özgü Süleymanoğlu, Yüksel Taşer, Angela Commito and

Felipe Reyes, who carried out the works; Em. Prof. Dr. for

their support in the preparation of this paper. We offer our

thanks to Ünal Öziş.

Öziş Ü, Atalay A, Becerik M, Özdikmen K (2005). Tunnelstrecken in

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Competing interests

The author declares that he has no competing

interests.

Süleymanoğlu Ö, Gündoğdu O, Baykan O, Tanrıöver

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