Hasankeyf Euphrates Side Canal (Upper Tigris Hasankeyf Rock-Cut Canal)
Hasankeyf Side Canal · Upper Tigris Hasankeyf Canal
Roman 180 to Artuqid 1150 CE (Hasankeyf Upper Tigris)·Roman mesopotamia then Artuqid Hasankeyf (Tigris gorge town)·🇹🇷 Batman Province, Hasankeyf–Tigris gorge, Upper Tigris Hasankeyf side canal (Tigris gorge south bank), Turkey
About
About Hasankeyf Euphrates Side Canal (Upper Tigris Hasankeyf Rock-Cut Canal)
South bank rock-cut side canal (560 m) along Upper Tigris gorge at Hasankeyf old city, Batman, cutting limestone cliff 42 m above Tigris thalweg. 4 km (700 m roofed vault) with 6 intake gates at Tigris bend trapping high-flow seasonal surplus into cliff gallery. Feeds Hasankeyf lower town cisterns 14 and irrigates Tigris terrace orchards 12 ha via 5 shaft aqueducts. Dated Artuqid 1150 CE cutting through Roman 180 CE precursor (spolia vault keystone Artuqid).
4 km above new lake remains with intake 4 preserved. Relief mapping pre-drowning 2016 records 6 gates vaulted gallery. Threatened by Hasankeyf reservoir inundation — upper segment preserved as archaeological park island.
Why it mattersOnly Upper Tigris cliff side canal surviving Hasankeyf reservoir — Artuqid–Roman overlay rock-cut vaulted gorge hydraulic.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 016 intakes hydraulics at bend — why 6 vs 1 large
Theories
- 01Bend multi-intake as flood-stage adaptive capture — low vs high flow gates
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.180 CE Roman precursor, Artuqid 1150 CE major rock-cut 1.4 km vaulted
- Period
- Roman 180 to Artuqid 1150 CE (Hasankeyf Upper Tigris)
- Culture
- Roman mesopotamia then Artuqid Hasankeyf (Tigris gorge town)
- Builders
- Roman gallery engineers then Artuqid Hasankeyf cliff cutters
- Purpose
- Upper Tigris cliff side canal 1.4 km 1.2×1.8 m 6 intakes feeding 14 cisterns + 5 shaft aqueducts orchard 12 ha
- Abandoned
- 2017 reservoir (upper segment preserved park)
- Rediscovered
- 1906 Herzfeld Hasankeyf cliff; 2016 pre-drowning relief mapping gallery vaulted 700 m
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
180 CE
Roman precursor vault keystone
1150 CE
Artuqid 1.4 km side canal 6 gates cut
2016
Pre-drowning gallery 700 m vault mapping
2017
Hasankeyf dam reservoir inundation main — upper preserved
On the ground
Structures & features
37.7100° N · 41.4100° E · 560 m · 2 mapped features
Vaulted Cliff Gallery (700 m vaulted)
aqueduct700-m vaulted roof section of 1.4 km gallery 1.2×1.8 m rock-cut cliff
37.7110° N · 41.4110° EIntake Gate 4 (preserved bend intake)
structureIntake gate 4 rock-cut bend trapping high flow — most preserved gate
37.7120° N · 41.4120° E