Türkiye's Largest and Highest Dams

Türkiye has built hundreds of dams to produce electricity, irrigate farmland and control floods. Two of them stand out: the Atatürk Dam, the largest in the country, and the Yusufeli Dam, the highest. Did you know that the reservoir behind the Atatürk Dam is large enough to be counted among Türkiye's biggest lakes?

Atatürk Dam: The Largest

The Atatürk Dam on the Euphrates River, between the provinces of Şanlıurfa and Adıyaman, was completed in 1990. It is a huge rock-fill dam and the centrepiece of the Southeastern Anatolia Project, known as GAP. Its reservoir covers more than 800 square kilometres.

What it is used for

The dam produces a large share of the country's hydroelectric power and feeds irrigation tunnels that carry water to the Harran plain, turning dry land into cotton and grain fields.

Yusufeli Dam: The Highest

The Yusufeli Dam on the Çoruh River in Artvin is the highest dam in Türkiye, with a body about 275 metres tall. Before it was completed, the record belonged to the nearby Deriner Dam on the same river. Building the dam required moving the town of Yusufeli to a new location above the reservoir.

Other Major Dams

• Keban Dam: one of the first large dams on the Euphrates, near Elazığ.
• Ilısu Dam: on the Tigris, one of the largest recent projects.
• Karakaya Dam: between Keban and Atatürk on the Euphrates.

Dams Near Antalya

In Antalya, the Oymapınar Dam on the Manavgat River is the best known. Its reservoir lies in a deep gorge and is visited on Green Canyon boat trips. Dams also shape the region's rivers: water released from them affects the flow of rivers used for boat trips and other activities.

Why dams matter

Dams provide clean energy and water, but they also flood valleys, villages and archaeological sites. That is why each major project in Türkiye has been followed by debate about its benefits and costs.