The Hamidiye Water Tower, Its History, Architecture, And Function

Abstract

Istanbul, the capital city of several major empires, has had many urban problems related to the continuous immigrations throughout the history. Various solutions have been sought in different periods in response to the critical water problem which has always been a need for the citizens. During the Ottoman Period, to compensate for the water need of the continuously fast-growing population, water was conveyed through water lines, either by repairing the old water supply systems and structures, or by finding new water sources and constructing new water lines. Hamidiye Waterway, built mainly during the Sultan Abdulhamid II Period, is a good example of this. The Hamidiye Water Tower, the subject matter of this study, has not been stressed enough or has had just its name mentioned in the literature in spite of its importance from the view point of both its architectural properties and also its functionality. This structure, now situated in Levent Sanayi Mahallesi, crammed among the closely packed and distorted residences, yet preserving its existence, is a remarkable example which possesses all the significant characteristics of the style of the period with its architecture, and clues of the water engineering of the period with its functionality. In this study, the Hamidiye Water Tower has been discussed with its above mentioned properties, hence; on one hand, its function and its operating system in the defined water line have been presented in detail, on the other hand, its architectural characteristics have been emphasized and its architectural style has been interpreted in relation with the other structures of the period.