With the work of Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality, water will flow from historical fountains again. Diyarbakır Municipality Water and Sewerage Administration (DİSKİ) General Directorate prepared a project to restore the historical fountains in the city. Restoration works will begin with the approval of the project by the Conservation Board.
5 fountains in the first place
The General Directorate of DISKI will restore the Kurtoğlu, Katırpınar, Arbedaş, Tahtalı Kastal Sokak and Dabanoğlu fountains in the first place, and after decades, water will flow from these fountains.
Fırat Tutşi, General Manager of DISKI, said that in travel books covering the periods after the 16th century, a total of 130 fountains, 300 of which are public and 430 are private, are mentioned in Diyarbakir.
Tutsi said, “In the fifth Diyarbakir Province Yearbook, published in Diyarbakir in 1874, the existence of 130 fountains is mentioned. However, only 33 of them have survived.” he said.
Pointing out that the construction of fountains in Anatolia started during the Seljuk period, Tutşi said:
“If we look at the characteristics of the fountains in Diyarbakir, the Lalebey Fountain, Zinciriye Madrasa Fountain, Sahabe Pasha Fountain, Ibrahim Bey Fountain, Arap Sheikh Mosque Fountain, Hasirli Mosque Fountain and Virgin Mary Church Fountain were built behind the mosque, madrasah, tomb and church wall. Aslanlı Çeşme, located in İçkale, differs in terms of its structure. This fountain was built on a rectangular prism body, ending with a triangular pediment. Since the basic building material is black cut basalt stone, it is made to look aesthetically pleasing by making use of its harmony with white stone.”
“Drinking water from the fountain in Diyarbakir”
Emphasizing that the fountains in the historical Sur district will make a great contribution to tourism, Tutşi reminded that they work with the motto “In Diyarbakir, water can be drunk from the fountain”.
Emphasizing the importance of their work, Tutsi said:
“One of the fountains to be restored is the 148-year-old Kurtoğlu Fountain on the Diyarbakır Elazığ highway. The fountain, which is surrounded by wire fences and has not flowed for many years, was built in 271 by the 1875st Ottoman Governor of Diyarbakır, Kurtismail Pasha. Kurtoğlu Fountain, which is also the only historical fountain outside of Sur, Diyarbakır's first settlement, was made of cut stone with a single arch.”