Valens Aqueduct

Overview

Drive into the old city of Istanbul along Atatürk Boulevard, and suddenly the traffic passes under a wall of Roman arches. Two tiers of gray stone and brick stride across the valley between two hills, carrying a road of water that kept Constantinople alive for centuries. The Valens Aqueduct is one of the oldest monuments in Istanbul, and it is worth a stop on foot. With a guide, join our Roman Istanbul tour. Our Istanbul aqueducts tour stops here.

Water came into the imperial capital over these arches, and the Ottomans and Mimar Sinan later added to the system. Some spots show the aqueduct much better than others; they are listed below. At its foot, in a market square, pit-roasted lamb comes out of the ground every morning.

The Valens Aqueduct, Roman Water Over a Modern Boulevard

The Valens Aqueduct (Bozdoğan Kemeri in Turkish) crosses the valley between the third and fourth hills of the historic peninsula, in the district of Fatih. It is generally dated to the reign of Emperor Valens (364–378), when the city prefect Clearchus also built a great fountain house at its eastern end. Of about 971 meters (3,190 feet) in all, much still stands, and the arches rise to about 29 meters (95 feet). It belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Historic Areas of Istanbul.

Sixteen Centuries of Water for Istanbul

Water for a new capital

When Constantine made Constantinople his capital, the city had too little water for a great population. The emperors therefore built a vast network of channels, tunnels and bridges that brought water from the hills of Thrace to the city. The Valens Aqueduct is its most visible part: the bridge that carried the water over the last valley into the city center.

Repaired by the sultans

After the conquest of 1453, Mehmed II repaired the system to supply his palaces, first the Old Palace and then Topkapı. Later sultans kept it working. In the mid-16th century, Suleiman the Magnificent rebuilt several arches and asked Mimar Sinan to bring new water lines from the Belgrad Forest north of the city. In 1697/98, Mustafa II restored more arches, as an inscription on the bridge still records.

The forty fountains

Thanks to Suleiman’s new water, the quarter on the Golden Horn side of the aqueduct gained many public fountains. It is still called Kırkçeşme, “Forty Fountains”. In Ottoman times, its water ran on to the Süleymaniye Mosque and through underground channels toward Sultanahmet and Topkapı Palace.

Walking Along and Under the Arches

The arches from Atatürk Boulevard

The classic view is from the boulevard, while the traffic flows under the central arches. However, the aqueduct is best seen on foot. Cross to the park on the Saraçhane side, then look up at the two tiers of arches, built of alternating bands of stone and brick. See also the remains of Saint Polyeuktos Church.

Walking beside the Valens Aqueduct

Away from the boulevard, however, residential lanes run along the foot of the aqueduct toward Fatih. Here you can touch the stones and see how the bridge cuts through the neighborhood, with houses, cars and cats living in its shadow. Look also for the inscription of Mustafa II on the restored section. Close to the aqueduct, Mimar Sinan’s Zeyrek Çinili Hamam works again as a bath, with a museum and a Byzantine cistern below.

The aqueduct at sunset

Late in the afternoon, the low sun turns the stone warm and gold and lights the arches from the side. So it is a lovely moment for photos from the park.

Mağlova and Sinan’s aqueducts

If you want to follow the water further, the great aqueducts that Mimar Sinan built for Suleiman still stand in the forests north of Istanbul. Among them, the Mağlova Aqueduct is a high point of Ottoman engineering.

Siirt in the Shadow of the Arches

Kadınlar Pazarı, the market at its foot

Right beside the aqueduct, the square of Kadınlar Pazarı feels like a corner of southeastern Türkiye. Families from Siirt and the southeast still run its butcher shops, honey and cheese stalls, spice shops and small restaurants. Come hungry in the late morning, when the lamb comes out of the pits.

Büryan, Perde Pilavı and Honey

• Büryan: a side of lamb slow-cooked over coals in a deep pit, the pride of Siirt; it is so tender it falls apart.
• Perde pilavı: rice with chicken, almonds and currants, baked in a thin pastry shell; its name means “curtain” pilaf.
• Siirt Şeref Büryan: a family restaurant whose owners have long practiced pit cooking; it has moved a few streets from the square, into Zeyrek.
• Honey and cheese: from the stalls of the square, a taste of the southeast to take home.

How to Visit the Valens Aqueduct

Getting to the Valens Aqueduct

• From Sultanahmet: about 15 minutes by car or a 30-minute walk along Divanyolu and past the Şehzade Mosque.
• By metro: the Vezneciler station of the M2 line is a short walk away.
• From Süleymaniye: a short walk west.

Local tips for the Valens Aqueduct

• See it on foot, not only from a car.
• Combine it with the Şehzade Mosque and the Süleymaniye, both nearby.
• Come for lunch at Kadınlar Pazarı.
• Visit late in the afternoon for the best light.
• Stay on the paths, because the aqueduct is a monument, not a climbing frame.
• Follow the water: the aqueduct once fed the 5th-century Şerefiye Cistern, now a museum near Divanyolu.
• At the eastern end, step into the Kalenderhane Mosque, a Byzantine church built right against the arches.