The Gölpınar Hittite Dam, built by the Hittites, one of the ancient civilizations of Anatolia and considered one of the oldest irrigation systems in the world, has been added to the World Heritage Irrigation Structures List by the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID).
The World Heritage Irrigation Structures List is organized by the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), which began its activities in 1950 with 11 founding members, including Türkiye, and is headquartered in New Delhi, the capital of India.
Since 2014, the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) has been awarding the WHIS (World Heritage Irrigation Structures) award to recognize irrigation structures that are over 100 years old and still in active use.
Türkiye submitted its candidacy for the Gölpınar Hittite Dam in 2024. During the 75th International Management Board Meeting held in Sydney, Australia, the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) announced that the Hittite Dam was awarded the WHIS award, qualifying it for inclusion in the World Heritage Irrigation Structures List.
In 2023, the 2,800-year-old Shamran Canal, located in Van, was awarded the WHIS award, qualifying it for inclusion in the World Heritage Irrigation Structures List.
The Hittite Dam, built by the Hittites and considered one of the oldest irrigation systems in the world, was constructed around 1240 BC. The dam is located in the Alaca district of Çorum, approximately 1.5 kilometers southeast of the ancient city of Alacahöyük.
The dam, built in a rectangular shape, measures approximately 100 x 110 meters. The water obtained from the dam was transported to Alacahöyük via a canal approximately 1.3 kilometers long, which was used for irrigating agricultural fields. Its spillways, water settling pool, and clay plastering that reduces permeability are considered some of the most advanced water structures of its time.
The dam is an important structure that showcases the knowledge and skills of the Hittites, who developed water control systems even before the Egyptians.
The dam, which is one of the important administrative and religious centers after Hattusa, the capital of the Hittites, was partially uncovered in 1935 by Turkish archaeologists Hamit Zübeyir Koşay, Remzi Oğuz Arık, and Mahmut Akok in Alacahöyük. It was fully revealed during the renewed excavations led by Prof. Dr. Aykut Çınaroğlu, which began in 1997.
Between 2002 and 2007, the dam was rehabilitated by the General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) in coordination with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Turkish Historical Society, Anadolu University, the Çorum Governorship, and the Alacahöyük Municipality.
A fragment of a stele found during the excavations, inscribed with Luwian hieroglyphs, indicates that the dam was dedicated to the goddess Hepat.
The Gölpınar Hittite Dam currently has the capacity to hold approximately 25,000 m³ of water and is used to irrigate 20 hectares of agricultural land. However, due to neglect, the dam has become overgrown with vegetation in recent years.
