Who built the Valens Aqueduct? Here is the history of the arch where police set up barricades on May Day...

During the May Day marches in Istanbul, the Bozdoğan Aqueduct, where police set up barricades and stood guard, became a topic of discussion following an iconic photograph. Internet users began searching for answers to questions like 'Where is the Bozdoğan Aqueduct?' and 'When was the Bozdoğan Aqueduct built?'

So, who commissioned the Bozdoğan Aqueduct, also known as the Valens Aqueduct? Where does its name come from?

The Bozdoğan Aqueduct, or by its other name the Valens Aqueduct, which the Romans completed towards the end of the 4th century, is located in the Fatih district of Istanbul. It was used as an aqueduct during both the Roman and Ottoman periods. Known as the 'Valens Aqueduct' because its completion coincided with the reign of Roman Emperor Flavius Julius Valens, the section of the Bozdoğan Aqueduct that remains standing today is 921 meters long, which is 50 meters shorter than its original state.

The aqueduct draws its water source from the slopes between Istanbul's Kağıthane district and the Sea of Marmara. The arch is positioned between the second and third hills of Istanbul.

After the conquest of Istanbul during the Ottoman period, the aqueduct was repaired to supply water to the Old Palace and later to Topkapı Palace. Although it was damaged in the Great Istanbul Earthquake (the 'Little Apocalypse') in the early 16th century, the destroyed sections were rebuilt. While it is rumored that the public named the damaged arch 'Bozulgan' (meaning 'the one that breaks') and that the name 'Bozdoğan' originated from this, there is no definitive information on the matter. In later periods, water coming from the Belgrade Forest was connected to this aqueduct by Mimar Sinan, and it continued to be used. It is known that by 1912, a 50-meter section of the aqueduct on the Fatih Mosque side had collapsed.