Category: Infrastructure
Type: Aqueduct
Location: Kalenderhane, Fatih
Date: 368
Designer: Unknown
Period: Roman Empire
Photos: T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı
The Valens Aqueduct, known in Turkish as Bozdoğan Kemeri, stands as one of the most significant Roman engineering feats in Istanbul, having been completed in 368 AD during the reign of Emperor Valens to address the city’s growing water needs. Spanning the valley between the third and fourth hills of the ancient city, the structure originally formed part of a vast network that transported water from the Thrace region to the Nymphaeum Maximum and various cisterns. Architecturally, the surviving 971-meter section showcases a sophisticated two-tier arched system constructed from a combination of carefully cut ashlar blocks and brick layers, a technique characteristic of Late Roman and Byzantine masonry. Throughout the centuries, the aqueduct remained a vital component of the urban infrastructure, undergoing extensive repairs and modifications under Ottoman rulers like Mehmed the Conqueror and Suleiman the Magnificent, which allowed it to continue functioning well into the modern era while remaining a monumental bridge between the city’s classical past and its imperial evolution.
