Gölpınar Hittite Dam
The Gölpınar Hittite Dam is a water structure in Alaca district, about 1.3 km from the ancient city of Alacahöyük, said to have been built by the Hittites in the 13th century BC. According to the State Hydraulic Works (DSİ), in 2024 it earned a place on the World Heritage Irrigation Structures (WHIS) list of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID).
The structure and its function
According to DSİ’s description, the water collected by the dam was carried by gravity to the ancient city of Alacahöyük, 1.3 km away. DSİ describes Alacahöyük as a centre that left important traces for water cult, agricultural irrigation and water management, and places it 34 km north of Hattusa. The dam now looks like a small pond; DSİ says its spillways, settling basin and clay plaster that reduces permeability are considered among the notable water-engineering works of its time, and the section that controls the water level is regarded as a work in its own right.
Use today
According to DSİ, the dam continues to function and is still used for agricultural irrigation by Alacahöyük farmers, “as it was 3,324 years ago”. A recreation and archaeo-park project begun in 2015 to bring the dam back into use as a dam and recreation area was completed in 2018.
The ICID list
DSİ writes that it applied three times in the World Heritage Irrigation Structures category: the Şamran Canal in 2023, the Gölpınar-Hitit Dam, within the boundaries of the 5th Regional Directorate, in 2024, and the Konya Beyşehir Regulator (Stone Bridge) in 2025 each earned a place on the list. News reports of November 2024 announced the Gölpınar Hittite Dam’s inclusion.
For the area’s archaeological sites see Archaeological sites of Alaca and History of the Alacahöyük excavations.
Sources
- Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, State Hydraulic Works (DSİ), “ICID World Heritage Irrigation Structures (WHIS) Award”. https://www.dsi.gov.tr/Sayfa/Detay/2348
- Habertürk, “Gölpınar Hitit Barajı, Dünya Mirası Sulama Yapıları Listesine alındı” (Gölpınar Hittite Dam added to the World Heritage Irrigation Structures list), November 2024. https://www.haberturk.com/video/haber/izle/golpinar-hitit-baraji-dunya-mirasi-sulama-yapilari-listesine-alindi/863627