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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Darbogaz Baraji |
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For site maps and drawings please click on the picture...  |
For photographs please click on the photo...  |
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Type:
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Water Construction |
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Altitude:
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m |
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Region:
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Eastern Anatolia |
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Province:
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Ardahan |
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District:
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Çildir |
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Village:
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Akçakale |
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Investigation Method:
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Survey |
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Period:
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Middle Iron Age |
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| It lies 78 km northeast of Kars, and east of the Çildir Lake, 7-8 km northeast the Akçakale Village in the Çildir District of Ardahan. The dam is 2080 m high above the sea level. For now, it is the northernmost dam in the Eastern Anatolia where the Urartu Kingdom expanded. Dam waters are a combination of the snow, rain, stream and spring waters, where the major stream is Uzun Dere, which originates from the Gök Mountains near the Armenian border. It covers an area about 4-5 kilometersquares. It has been silted up by a thick layer of soil. Thus, it has been cultivated for a long period of time. The dam wall lies in north-south direction. It is 186 m long, and 2.5 m wide. It is the second longest wall in the Eastern Anatolia Region following the wall of Çirişgöl Dam. On the western façade there is a retainin wall consisting of stones and earth with an average width of 6 to 8 m. It contributed to the reinforcement of the dam's wall on both sides. It represents a very advanced sample of the Urartian dam walls. No such technique was observed in any walls constructed in the Eastern Anatolia until now. No floodgate is observed on the dam's wall. It appears that the floodgate was entirely removed together with the wall demolished during the road construction. The wall was built with small and large andesite blocks which have elaborately dressed outer surfaces, and derived from the andesite beds in the neighbourhood. The masonry resembles the one observed at the Senger Fortress which is located 400 m to the west. Although the stones used for foundations are larger, they get smaller as they get upwards. The waters issued from the dam were used for irrigation of the vegetable and fruit gardens in the terrain sloping down towards the Lake of Çildir. The dam is dated to the same period with the Senger Fortress, i.e. both the fortress and the dam were built during the reign of King Sarduri II (764-735 BC). |
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