5/5 Dinh T. 2 years ago on Google
The
1,380-meter-long
Vespasianus
Titus
Tunnel,
which
was
built
completely
by
man
power
is
deemed
as
"the
ancient
largest
water
tunnel
in
the
world
made
by
man".
The
Vespasianus
Titus
Tunnel
built
during
the
Roman
period
is
located
within
the
boundaries
of
the
Ancient
city
of
Seleuceia
Pieria.
The
antique
city
Seleuceia
Pieria
is
situated
near
the
actual
village Çevlik,
35
km
to
the
southwest
of
Antakya
(the
historical
city
Antioch
on
the
Orontes),
at
the
foot
of
Nur
mountains
in
eastern
Mediterranean
coast
in
Turkey.
Seleuceia
Pieria
was
founded
towards
the
end
of
the
4th
century
B.C.
by
Seleukos
Nikator
I,
one
of
the
generals
of
Alexander
the
Great.
The
city
was
reigned
by
the
Ptolemeans
during
the
second
half
of
the
3rd
century
B.C.,
and
flourished
later
during
the
Roman
period,
beginning
in
the
second
half
of
the
1st
century
A.D.,
and
became
one
of
the
most
important
ports
of
the
Eastern
Mediterranean
Region.
The
upper
city
is
separated
from
the
lower
one
by
steep
rocky
topography.
The
lower
city,
surrounded
by
fortification
walls
totaling
12
km,
has
been
developed
around
the
harbour
of
16
hectares
area.
Since
the
city
was
under
the
threat
of
the
floods
descended
from
the
mountains
and
flowed
through
the
city
and
the
harbour
was
silted
up
and
became
inoperative,
the
Roman
emperor,
Vespasianus
ordered
to
build
a
tunnel
by
digging
the
mountain
in
order
to
divert
the
floodwaters
threatening
the
harbour.
The
diversion
system
was
built
with
the
principle
of
closing
the
front
of
the
stream
bed
with
a
deflection
cover
and
transferring
stream
waters
to
the
sea
through
an
artificial
canal
and
tunnel.
The
construction
began
in
1st
century
A.D.
during
the
reign
of
the
Roman
emperor
Vespasianus
(69-79
A.D.),
continued
under
his
son
Titus
(79-81
A.D.)
and
his
successors,
completed
in
2nd
century
A.D.
during
the
reign
of
another
Roman
emperor,
Antonius
Pius.
A
rock-carved
inscription
at
the
entrance
of
the
first
tunnel
section
bears
the
names
Vespasianus
and
Titus,
another
inscription
in
the
downstream
channel
that
of
Antonius.
The
diversion
system,
displaying
a
broken
alignment,
consists
of:
a
dam
to
divert
the
river
flow;
a
short
approach
channel;
the
first
tunnel
section;
a
short
intermediary
channel;
the
second
tunnel
section;
a
long
discharge
channel.
The
tunnel
was
added
to
the
tentative
list
in
the
cultural
category
of
UNESCO
World
Heritage
Site
on
April
15,
2014.
*
Photos
courtesy
of
Internet
and
Facebook.
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