Sarıyar Barajı

About Sarıyar Barajı

Sarıyar Barajı, also known as Hasan Polatkan Barajı, is a dam on the Sakarya River in the Sarıyar neighbourhood of Nallıhan district, on the western edge of Ankara province. It was built between 1951 and 1956 to generate hydroelectric power, and Turkish Wikipedia describes it as Turkey's first large hydroelectric dam. The concrete gravity dam rises 90 m above the riverbed. At its normal water level the reservoir holds about 1,900 cubic hectometres and covers about 83.8 square kilometres, which the same source ranks sixth among Turkey's dam lakes. Its 160 MW power station, running four generators, produces about 378 GWh of electricity a year, and the catchment is being planted with trees under a green-belt afforestation plan. Most of the remains of the ancient city of Juliopolis now lie under the lake, although its necropolis and some structures have been preserved. For visitors the lake near Çayırhan makes a long day out from Ankara. The Ankara tour company Ayder Turizm, for example, runs a Çayırhan, Sarıyar Barajı and Nallıhan day tour that includes a half-hour boat trip on the reservoir. Check current boat and tour arrangements before you travel, as no official timetable is published.