Kamares Aqueduct

Coordinates: 34°54′44″N 33°35′55″E / 34.912131°N 33.598729°E

Kamares
Detail

Kamares Aqueduct, also known as the Bekir Pasha Aqueduct, is an aqueduct located in Larnaca, Cyprus. It was built in 1747. Tassos Mikropoulos considers the aqueduct to be the "most prominent" water supply ever built in Cyprus.[1]

It is located outside Larnaca, near the old road to Limassol.[2] A part of it is illuminated at night.

History

It was built in 1747, financed by Ebubekir Pasha (also known as Koca Bekir Pasha or Abu Bakr Pasha) who was the Ottoman Governor of Larnaca.[3] The aqueduct was in operation until 1939 and consists of 75 arches.[3][4][5]

Construction

The construction of the aqueduct commenced in 1747 and was completed in 1750, costing a total of 50,000 qirsh which was paid by Ebubekir Pasha.[3] Foreign travellers have often counted it as the most important monument constructed during the Ottoman period in Cyprus. In 1754, Alexander Drummond noted that:

For the honour of Bekir Paşa I must communicate an instance of the old gentlemen’s public spirit. While he was Paşa of this land, in the year 1747, he formed the noble design of bringing water from the river at Arpera, and occasional springs on the road about six miles from hence, to supply the people of Larnaca, Salines and the shipping. A work worthy of great and good man, which might have cost him above fifty thousand piasters of six thousand pounds.[6]

References

  1. ↑ Michael, Kappler & Gavriel 2009, 147.
  2. ↑ "Kamares-the Old Aqueduct of Larnaka". Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Mikropoulos 2008, 147.
  4. ↑ Li & Duan 2006, 50.
  5. ↑ Dubin & Morris 2002, 87.
  6. ↑ Drummond 1754, 252.

Bibliography

  • Drummond, Alexander (1754), "Travels Through Different Cities of Germany, Italy, Greece, and Several Parts of Asia etc.", in Cobham, Claude Delaval(ed), Excerpta Cypria: Materials for a History of Cyprus, General Books LLC, ISBN 1-154-94001-2.
  • Dubin, Marc; Morris, Damien (2002), The Rough Guide to Cyprus, Rough Guides, ISBN 1-85828-863-0.
  • Li, H.; Duan, Zhongdong (2006), Structural Health Monitoring and Intelligent Infrastructure, Taylor & Francis, ISBN 0-415-39652-2.
  • Michael, Michalis N.; Kappler, Matthias; Gavriel, Eftihios (2009), Ottoman Cyprus: A Collection of Studies on History and Culture, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 3-447-05899-4.
  • Mikropoulos, Tassos A. (2008), Elevating and Safeguarding Culture Using Tools of the Information Society: Dusty traces of the Muslim Culture, Earthlab, ISBN 960-233-187-9.
  • Yıldız, Netice (1996), "Aqueducts in Cyprus", Journal for Cypriot Studies (2/2): 89–111.