Main Page

Karakuyu Hittite Dam

It is in the central Turkey near the village of Karakuyu, at the Pınarbaşı district of Kayseri. This small reservoir for irrigation is a 440 m long U-shaped embankment with a 1.4 m wide sluice at the deepest point, which was used as an outlet. The head-stone of the discharge channel has Hittite hieroglyphs identifying Tudhaliya IV, and thus places it to 13th century BCE. The first line reads "Hattusili, the Hero, Great King, Tudhaliya, the Hero, Great King". The second line lists the names of some gods and mountains. This stone is now in Kayseri Museum. A second stone at the location also has similar but unfinished hieroglyps. The wall structure shows a lot of similarities to the city walls of Hattushas. The two creeks of the valley has since been diverted elsewhere but the reservoir still seems to be in good shape after 3000 years.


Click on pictures for a larger image.

B.Bilgin 2011 B.Bilgin 2011 Remains of drainage channel - B.Bilgin 2011 Remains of drainage channel - B.Bilgin 2011 Embankment of the dam - B.Bilgin 2011 Name identifying Tudhaliya IV - T.Bilgin 2006 Name identifying Tudhaliya IV - from K.Bittel



Image sources:
Tayfun Bilgin, 2006
Bora Bilgin, Ertuğrul Anıl, Cüneyt Süer, 2011
Kurt Bittel. Denkmäler eines hethitischen Großkönigs des 13. Jahrhunderts vor Christus, 1984. ISBN 3531119540.