Archaeologists working at Zerzevan Castle uncovered an 1,800-year-old water network that carried spring water from 8.5 kilometers away to cisterns, residences, and the subterranean Mithras Temple beneath the hilltop fortification.
The system relied on baked-clay pipes, or künk, that first pushed water uphill by pressure, then fed it downward through arches and channels. One vaulted cistern held 4,000 tons of water, and a total of 63 cisterns could store enough to supply a garrison of about 1,600 people for a year.
“Water was raised to high levels through pressurized pipes and then distributed across the settlement; a small waterfall operated inside the main cistern before the flow entered additional channels,” said Professor Dr. Aytaç Coşkun, head of the excavation team, according to Anadolu Agency.
Excavations, begun in 2014 under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, catalogued about 1,000 artifacts and produced the first detailed mapping of the water system. Zerzevan Castle entered the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2020.
The fortress rises 124 meters above the plain near Demirölçek Mahallesi, 13 kilometers from Çınar, along the ancient road that linked Amida (Diyarbakır) and Dara (Mardin). Built in the 3rd century CE, it served as a Roman border garrison until the Islamic conquest in 639 CE and was reinforced during the reigns of Anastasios and Justinianos.
Within its 1,000 acres, archaeologists documented a 1,200-meter wall, a 21-meter watchtower, a church, administrative buildings, rock-cut tombs, secret passages, and an underground church large enough for 400 people. The previously discovered Mithras Temple remains the only example of its kind found in a military settlement.
Earthenware fragments found near one channel suggested that inhabitants drew water directly from the system for daily use. The discovery adds a new dimension to understanding how Roman engineers sustained life on the windswept ridge overlooking the Mesopotamian plain, and the ongoing excavations continue to attract visitors to the site.
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