Aslantaş Dam

Aslantaş Dam (Aslantaş Barajı) is an embankment dam on Ceyhan River in Osmaniye Province, southern Turkey, built between 1975 and 1984.

Aslantaş Dam is situated 80 km northeast of Adana. Built for irrigation, flood control and electricity generation purposes by the State Hydraulic Works (DSI), the dam is 95 m high and has a volume of 8.493 hm3 filled with rock. The dam creates a 49 km2 wide lake with 1150 hm3 capacity at normal water level. It irrigates an area of 149849 ha. It also supports a 138 MW power station, which generates 569 GWh electricity annually. According to some sources, the construction of the Aslantaş Dam resulted in involuntary resettlement of 60,000 people.



Partly on the western and eastern banks of the dam reservoir, the Karatepe-Aslantaş National Park is located. On a peninsula at the west bank, the hill Karatepe is situated inside the national park. Overlooking the dam reservoir, a walled settlement of the Neo-Hittites was discovered on Karatepe dating back to the 8th century BC. Following archaeological excavations between 1946 and 1952, the site was preserved as the Karatepe-Aslantaş Open-Air Museum in 1958. The Kumkale on Domuztepe, another settlement of the Neo-Hittites and a fortification built by the Crusaders, which is located about 2 km north of this site, was flooded by the dam reservoir.